TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo dismissed claims that his action of stepping on a buffalo's head during a traditional ceremony in Lampung carried political undertones. According to him, the procession was a customary ritual passed down through generations.
Jokowi placed his foot atop a buffalo's head while receiving the honorary title of Baginda Pemuka Bangsa from the Kedatun Kingdom Palace of Lampung on Saturday, June 27, 2026. A photograph of the ceremony circulated widely on social media, sparking various interpretations.
"That is a customary ritual. Once again, it is a customary ritual that has been performed not just once or twice, but hundreds of times," Jokowi told reporters at his residence in Sumber village, Banjarsari district, Solo, Central Java, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Jokowi considered interpretations reading political meaning into the procession to be exaggerated. He urged the public not to drag every event into the political arena. "Not everything should be dragged into politics; often, it just does not make sense," he said.
According to Jokowi, the ceremony was a gesture of respect from the indigenous people of Lampung toward him. During his visit to the province, he received an honorary title from the Kedatun Kingdom Palace of Lampung. "It is a token of honor from the indigenous people of Lampung and from the Kedatun Kingdom Palace of Lampung. I feel honored to receive this award," he said.
Jokowi stated that Indonesia has a diverse cultural and traditional heritage that must be respected and preserved. Therefore, he urged the public to view each customary procession through a cultural lens rather than a purely political perspective.
"We must continue to respect customs, local wisdom, and our traditions because our culture is highly diverse," Jokowi said.
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) politician Mohamad Guntur Romli weighed in on the circulating photograph of Jokowi.
The PDIP, the party that once served as Jokowi's political vehicle, viewed the act of stepping on the buffalo's head as laden with political symbolism. The bull-symbol party regarded the gesture as a reflection of the burning power ambitions of its former cadre.
"The stepped-on buffalo head symbolizes Jokowi's followers and PSI, who are intoxicated by the demeanor of a king, when what actually exists is an unlimited ambition for power within Jokowi's family," Guntur said in a text message on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
Guntur noted that Jokowi's political behavior after parting ways with the PDIP had been studied by PDIP Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto in his doctoral dissertation. According to him, the study concluded that Jokowi is building a leadership model characterized by authoritarian populism.
He argued that Jokowi's leadership combines feudalism—steeped in a self-perception of being a king—with populism via aid distribution to court public sympathy, alongside a Machiavellian streak that treats power as the ultimate goal.
According to Guntur, Jokowi is still seeking to maintain and consolidate his political influence despite having completed two terms as president. This tendency, he said, remains evident even as members of Jokowi's family continue to hold several strategic positions in the government and political parties.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Central Java chapter, Antonius Yogo Prabowo, previously asserted that stepping on a buffalo's head during a traditional procession in Lampung is part of a long-standing adat ritual.
"We view it purely as a customary ritual. This is an ancient tradition, not something invented just because Pak Jokowi visited. Pak Jokowi simply respects local customs without any hidden motives," Yogo told reporters.
He noted that the issue had also become a topic of internal discussion within PSI. According to him, the tradition of stepping on a buffalo's head is standard procedure for bestowing honorary titles upon guests and was not uniquely contrived for Jokowi's visit to Lampung.
"If others perceive it differently, that is their business. But we know very well that Pak Jokowi, as a guest, deeply respects local customs," he said.
Yogo emphasized that a similar procession is carried out for any guest receiving honorary titles from sultans or customary leaders. However, he noted, the ritual became a highlight because it was performed by Jokowi.
"It is actually normal for guests to step on a buffalo's head as part of customary offerings. What is unusual is merely that Jokowi was the one stepping on it," he said.
According to Yogo, they had also received clarification that the tradition is long-standing and entirely unrelated to any specific political symbolism or message.
"He is respecting customs as a guest visiting a region who is required to step on it. And it is a buffalo's head, nothing else," he said.
Sultan Abdurrahman contributed to this article.
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