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Jokowi at odds with university students following criticism against him
Following the controversial Constitutional Court ruling that enabled his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run in the 2024 presidential election, the President has received sharp public criticism, including from university students.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (second left) delivers his speech during the inauguration of Otto Iskandar Dinata (Otista) Bridge in Bogor, West Java, on Dec. 19, 2023. (Antara/Arif Firmansyah)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was absent from Gadjah Mada University’s (UGM) anniversary event in Yogyakarta on Tuesday after strong remarks from the university’s student body calling him the “most embarrassing” alumnus.
Following the controversial Constitutional Court ruling that enabled his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run in the 2024 presidential election, the President, who has maintained high approval ratings in his final months in office, has received sharp public criticism, including from university students.
One of the strongest protests came from UGM students, with the university’s student body staging a protest on Dec. 8 that included a large banner reading, "Awarding the Most Embarrassing UGM Alumnus Nomination" with Jokowi's image divided into two, one side adorned with a crown and the other a farmer's hat.
“[The President’s] schedule is busy. He just arrived very early today from a visit to Japan,” said presidential expert staff coordinator Ari Dwipayana on Tuesday, as quoted by tempo.co.
The President inaugurated Otto Iskandar Dinata Bridge in Bogor, West Java, and did not have any official schedule until the afternoon. He departed to the site of the new capital Nusantara in East Kalimantan on Wednesday.
The UGM anniversary event was held at the university’s Grha Sabha Pramana (GSP) building on Tuesday and was attended by presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo. Like Jokowi, Ganjar is also an alumnus and a member of the ruling party of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Cabinet Secretary Pratikno, the university’s board of trustees chairman and former rector, also attended the event.
A proud UGM alumnus, Jokowi appoints many of the university’s prominent scholars into his administration. Jokowi also usually participates in the university’s anniversary events, whether in person or by sending a recorded speech. However, Jokowi’s speech was notably absent from this year’s celebration.
