“What’s in a name?” This is probably one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, from Romeo and Juliet - written circa 1594-1596 – to convey that names are irrelevant.

Traditional Javanese people would strongly disagree with that. A high-profile example is the naming of Indonesia’s seventh president, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. He was originally called “Mulyono”, meaning “noble”. However, he experienced many illnesses as a child which was interpreted by his elders as the name being too “heavy” for him. So, they changed it to “Joko Widodo”, which means “safe and prosperous boy”. 

Well, Jokowi certainly became prosperous with his current name, and so far, safe, in fact virtually untouchable.

He became the first president whose key appeal was that he had no connections to previous administrations, the elite or existing oligarchies. He was not a military man, nor was he affiliated with any Islamic political grouping; he was untainted by any hint of corruption and seemed to enjoy a harmonious family life.

The Western media also went gaga over him. The Oct. 16, 2014, issue of TIME magazine featured an extreme close up of Jokowi’s face with the headline emblazoned “A New Hope”, subtitled “Indonesian President Joko Widodo is a force for democracy”.

He promised the moon: To eradicate corruption, overhaul the bureaucracy, upgrade Indonesia’s creaking infrastructure, facilitate investment, boost economic growth, create a “mental revolution” and resolve past human rights violations.

However, the only promise he kept was infrastructure development, falling far short of the promises he made at the beginning of his presidency. In fact, infrastructure development has been prioritized at the expense of democratization, human rights and the environment.