Jokowi's admission of meddling in presidential polls divides public

President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, joined by Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Panjaitan (left) and First Lady Iriana, speaks in a press briefing on the tarmac of the Halim Perdanakusumah Air Base in Jakarta on May 19, 2023 - The Jakarta Post/Presidential Secretariat

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): President 'Jokowi' Widodo has defended himself against recent criticism over his meddling in the hunt for his successor, admitting to media leaders in a closed-door meeting on Monday (May 29) that he had been actively interfering in the upcoming elections out of the nation’s best interests.

But his admission has divided opinion across the entire political spectrum, with one side slamming the President for his defiant lack of neutrality, while the other side jumping to his defence by insisting it was well within his rights to do so.