PDIP “Niceletuk” apologizes for supporting Jokowi to become president

MALANG – TIMES INDONESIA, MALANG – In the midst of a dialogue between all representatives of DPRD factions and leaders in Malang City and hundreds of students protesting on behalf of the Malang Bergerak Alliance (MBG), last Wednesday (6/17/2026), a confession came from a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

Malang City DPRD PDIP politician Harvard Kurniawan Ramadhan once said that he felt guilty on behalf of the party that promoted Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia.

“We, as cadres of the PDI Perjuangan, apologize for recommending Mulyono (Joko Widodo) as president. We (PDI Perjuangan) feel that we share the sin because the person concerned became president thanks to the party’s recommendation,” Harvard said in front of the participants in the action.

Suddenly, the words that came out of the Malang City PDIP politician’s mouth were met with the screams of hundreds of students who were currently surrounding the Malang City DPRD members during a dialogue in front of the Malang City DPRD building.

In reconfirming this assertion, Harvard opined that the various regulatory changes that have occurred over the past decade have raised many questions regarding the quality of democracy and constitutional governance.

According to him, this condition is one of the reasons why the PDIP must evaluate the political decisions that have been made.

Harvard said many regulations changed rapidly under Jokowi’s administration. This situation gives the impression that legal and constitutional mechanisms can be adapted to meet certain interests.

According to him, the evaluation does not only apply to the presidential election, but also to the entire political recruitment process carried out by the party. In the future, the PDIP should be more selective in selecting candidates for regional head, deputy and other officials.

“We apologize. This is an assessment for the party when recommending leaders who can truly safeguard the interests of the people and the integrity of the nation,” Harvard said during his confirmation, Thursday (18/6/2026).

On this occasion, Harvard also linked various current political issues to the legacy of the previous government. He believes that the conditions that have developed recently cannot be separated from the policies and political decisions made during the Jokowi era.

When asked whether the current chaotic situation was the result of the previous regime, Harvard firmly replied that this situation was the result of the previous regime. He admitted that his party was aware of this and recognized it as part of its policy assessment.

“Yes, we admit it. One of our failed products is the leadership of the Joko Widodo regime,” he stressed.

This statement was an open and quite severe criticism on the part of PDIP executives towards a person who had been a cadre and leader of the party. Harvard considers issues of political ethics and changes to a number of strategic regulations as important points during the reign.

One of the highlights was the change in regulations regarding age requirements for vice-presidential candidates, which paved the way for Jokowi’s eldest son to run in the 2024 presidential election. According to him, this change is the clearest example of how regulations can be changed in a short time to suit certain interests.

He believes that the previous age limit provisions were developed after careful consideration by lawmakers. It is for this reason that these sudden changes have given rise to controversies in society.

Despite its criticism of the previous government, Harvard stressed that the PDIP would not position itself as an opposition to the government of President Prabowo Subianto. His party chose to adopt a balancing position that would support pro-people programs while making corrections to policies deemed inappropriate.

“We choose to be a balancer (right now). We (PDIP) remain on the path of supporting programs that are truly pro-people. If there is anything that is not appropriate (in the current policy), we will correct it,” he said.

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