The President ruffled some feathers last week when he attended a major political rally held by his volunteers, in which he encouraged thousands of people packing the Gelora Bung Karno stadium to vote for a leader who worked so hard and cared about their people so much that their face wrinkled and their hair turned white. 

While political pundits believed that Jokowi was giving his blessings to the silver-haired Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, the President claimed that a “white-haired” leader could be anyone, not only exclusively Ganjar, a fellow member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Political tour

During his working visit to Pontianak on Tuesday, the President made reference once again to a “white hair” successor, saying that one could interpret his suggestion in any way, throwing several names into the fray this time.

"One can interpret it in any way; but indeed if one works hard, they think very hard for the people, their hair could turn white,” Jokowi told reporters on Tuesday. “Many have white hair, like [National Mandate Party politician] Hatta Rajasa, [Central Java Governor] Ganjar Pranowo, including [Defense Minister] Prabowo Subianto, his hair is also rather white, and others.”

Jokowi humorously rehashed the allusion to white-haired politicians the following day when he spoke at an annual Bank Indonesia (BI) gathering, saying that the current crisis engulfing the world had created headaches for world leaders serious enough to turn their hair white.

"I met world leaders during the Group of 20 Summit and they told me that they had terrible headaches from all the problems. All their hair was turning white," Jokowi said with a chuckle.

Ahmad Khoirul Umam, director executive of  Democracy and Strategic Affairs (Indostrategic), said that the “white hair” reference, especially conveyed to his die-hard supporters, was expected to generate a wave of popular support, which at a certain point was also aimed to influence or even dictate political parties’ decisions.

“Jokowi seems to be strategizing to play safe, urging the PDI-P to nominate Ganjar without having to face the PDI-P elite — the majority of whom have been opposing Ganjar's candidacy,” Umam said. 

“It sends a message to parties, especially those that are supporting Jokowi’s government, that if they want to find a winner in the presidential election, look for a candidate that fits the criteria of the President,” said political analyst Adi Prayitno of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University.

‘Deliberate ambiguity’

The “white-haired” reference first came during a rally at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex last Saturday when Jokowi told his die-hard supporters to vote for a "white-haired" leader in 2024, a reference that many believed to be directed toward his fellow PDI-P figure, Ganjar.

The gathering, which was organized by Jokowi’s volunteer group called Gerakan Nusantara Bersatu (United Nusantara Movement) and attended by thousands of supporters, drew swift criticism from various political parties, including the PDI-P, of which Jokowi is a member. 

That Jokowi needs to clarify his statement and then, again, leave the interpretation of his remark on voting for a “white-haired” leader open only shows that he is aware that there is no guarantee Ganjar would win the election, according to Arif Susanto, a political analyst of Exposit Strategic.

This ambiguity is his attempt to ensure that whoever wins the 2024 presidential election would secure his legacy, he said. (ahw)

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