The statement has sparked controversy. Opponents argue that as the President, Jokowi should be a neutral party safeguarding the interest of all parties involved in the upcoming election. Proponents, however, contend that he simply quoted what the law says. There is nothing wrong with it.

So, what do we do about this?

We must first admit that the Election Law provides the President with the right to campaign. But the President is subject to restrictions.

We believe that the law, being the result of the deliberation between the President and the House of Representatives in 2017, has attempted to settle into a middle ground where Jokowi, as head of state and head of government, is also a private citizen who has political rights in the sphere of democracy. Therefore, as a private citizen, the President is still entitled to elect somebody to office or to be (re)elected notwithstanding his/her status as the president.

There are certain restrictions applicable to the president, in this case Jokowi, whenever he or she wishes to carry out their political rights as a private citizen. These restrictions are used as a tool to strip the president of their privileges each time they are campaigning. The president must take leave and must not use the state facilities.

Furthermore, every time the president is back from their campaign and becomes the president of all people, they are prohibited from making decisions and/or taking actions that benefit or harm certain election participants during the campaign period. The president must also refrain from holding activities that lead to bias toward the election participants before, during, and after the campaign period.