Jokowi testifies in fake diploma trial as supporters throng Jakarta court - The Straits Times

Joko Widodo, former president of Indonesia, during an interview at the State Palace in Jakarta on March 15, 2023.

JAKARTA – Former Indonesian president Joko Widodo testified on Nov 5 in the defamation trial of former youth and sports minister Roy Suryo, one of two people charged over claims that Widodo’s university diploma is fake.

It was his first public appearance since news broke on Nov 3 of an explosive wiretapping scandal that led to the arrest of former national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who was Widodo’s first aide-de-camp when he was president and whom he later picked to lead the force.

Thousands of supporters, many dressed in white with red-and-white headbands, greeted Widodo as he arrived at the East Jakarta District Court for the morning hearing. Some held banners that read “We believe in Jokowi and UGM”, a reference to his alma mater, Gadjah Mada University. Supporters of the two defendants also turned up.

Apart from Roy, the other defendant is health activist Tifauzia Tyassuma. Both are facing separate trials on Nov 5, with Tifauzia’s being held in the afternoon.

Police had braced themselves for a bigger turnout on Nov 5.

East Jakarta police chief Alfian Nurrizal told reporters that intelligence estimates put the number of Widodo supporters expected at about 7,000, and those backing the defendants at 1,000 to 2,000. He said 6,770 officers and soldiers had been deployed to keep order. 

The 6,770-strong force – 5,570 police officers and 1,200 soldiers – was arranged in three security rings, Alfian said. The court, which said the hearing was open to all, set up screens outside for those who could not get in.

Local media, including news portals fajar.co.id and rmol.id, have reported accusations and suspicions by politicians and observers that Widodo might be behind the wiretapping, pointing out the close ties between Widodo and Listyo. 

After leaving the courtroom, Widodo was asked by reporters whether he had instructed Listyo to conduct the wiretap. Widodo did not answer and continued to walk, maintaining his usual style of smiling at the crowd.

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Nov 4 that investigators were still focused on the three police-general suspects and witnesses and urged the public not to speculate. He added that anyone, Widodo included, could be questioned if the facts and evidence warranted it.

For the defamation case, Widodo was called by prosecutors as a witness after he filed the police complaint that led to the charges against both defendants.

During the morning hearing, Widodo wore a batik shirt and a peci, the traditional Indonesian cap. As he entered the courtroom, spectators jostled to get in. Presiding judge Christina Endarwati asked some latecomers who were left standing in the crush to leave. 

“My personal aide showed me social media video posts claiming that my diploma was fake,” Widodo told the court. “I then consulted my legal advisers and decided to gather all required evidence to refute the accusation, which I felt had gone too far.”

He stressed he had been harmed as a considerable number of people believed his diploma was fake, adding that this had tarnished his name and reputation.

Widodo then rose from the witness chair in the middle of the courtroom, where he had sat facing the judges with his back to the public audience, and walked up to the bench. He then turned to face the audience and held up his diploma in his right hand. His personal aide, Syarif Muhammad Fitriansyah, and others also took turns to make their testimonies. 

The diploma of former Indonesian president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, which has been declared authentic by Gadjah Mada University.

Criminal law expert Asmi Syahputra of Trisakti University in Jakarta said the diploma still had to be authenticated in court in future hearings. Speaking to Kompas TV on Nov 5, Asmi cautioned: “Evidence must be confirmed, authenticated and documented (by multiple parties).”  

Widodo was expected to appear again for the afternoon hearing.

Questions over Widodo’s degree were pushed for years by Bambang Tri Mulyono, author of the book Jokowi Undercover, who in 2022 filed a lawsuit alleging that Widodo had used a fake diploma to run in the 2019 presidential election. A court in Solo jailed him and preacher Sugi Nur Raharja in 2023 for spreading false news about the diploma.

The claims resurfaced in 2025, months after Widodo left office, when former Mataram University lecturer Rismon Sianipar argued that the typeface on his thesis cover did not exist in the 1980s, a claim Gadjah Mada University rejected, saying such fonts were common at print shops at the time.

Widodo has suggested that the allegations are politically motivated, while analysts have linked a barrage of lawsuits against him after he stepped down to lingering discontent over his decade in power.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja has been Indonesia correspondent at The Straits Times since 2008, and is based in Jakarta.