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Javanese renaming tradition behind Jokowi birth name fuss

Social media users have increasingly used Mulyono to refer to the President in recent days to register their discontent with his efforts to secure lasting, dynastic influence in the government, political parties and state institutions.

Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Fri, August 30, 2024

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Javanese renaming tradition behind Jokowi birth name fuss President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo attends the inauguration of deputy ministers at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on July 18, 2024. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)

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grassroots movement to call President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo by his birth name Mulyono has emerged in recent days as a form of protest against actions by the outgoing leader that critics say represent major steps backward for Indonesia’s democracy.

Mulyono, a popular Javanese name, means “noble one”. However, the name did not seem to bring good luck to little Mulyono, who fell sick quite frequently, prompting his parents to change his name to Joko Widodo, with Joko meaning “young man” and Widodo “prosperous or healthy”.

Social media users have increasingly used Mulyono to refer to the President in recent days to register their discontent with his efforts to secure lasting, dynastic influence in the government, political parties and state institutions. The president has been accused of abusing his power and even defying the Constitution to secure plum positions for himself and his family.

A user of social media platform X, @RedPhoenix___ wrote last week, “Starting from now we have to call him Mulyono, the name he had when he was a sickly child. The more people call him Mulyono, the quicker bad fortune will befall him.”

Jokowi addressed the name change in a 2018 interview, saying his situation had improved since.

“Believe it or not, I grew up healthy [after my name change]. It’s a mystery,” he said.

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