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President's admission of intervention divides public
President Jokowi's admission that he was meddling in the electoral process ahead of the 2024 polls has split public opinion and incensed an opposition convinced that this could set a dangerous precedent.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo, joined by Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Panjaitan (left) and First Lady Iriana, speaks in a press briefing on the tarmac of the Halim Perdanakusumah Air Base in Jakarta on May 19. (The Jakarta Post/Presidential Secretariat)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has defended himself against recent criticism over his meddling in the hunt for his successor, admitting to media leaders in a closed-door meeting on Monday that he had been actively interfering in the upcoming elections out of the nation’s best interests.
But his admission has divided opinion across the entire political spectrum, with one side slamming the President for his defiant lack of neutrality, while the other side jumping to his defense by insisting it was well within his rights to do so.
Having hosted private meetings with political party leaders and appearing on public outings with several presumptive presidential nominees (while ignoring others), Jokowi has in recent weeks faced a flurry of accusations that he was cawe-cawe (Javanese for meddling) too much in the 2024 elections.
Among Jokowi’s detractors is his own former vice president Jusuf Kalla, who disapproved of his actions and criticized him for not inviting NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh, now a backer of Jokowi’s least favored presidential hopeful Anies Baswedan, to a meeting among political bigwigs earlier this month.
Kalla also urged Jokowi to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors by steering clear of influencing electoral politics and allowing the elections to be freely held.
On past occasions, Jokowi has denied allegations that he was meddling, including saying that he had not broken any laws over his invitation to party leaders for discussions.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which Jokowi is a member, has defended the President’s actions, saying that past presidents had also played the same kind of game.
