PRESIDENT Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s recent post of a Javanese saying raised questions on the role of Javanese philosophy in Jokowi’s leadership style and policies coming into his second term, inviting comparisons to the quintessentially Javanese former president Suharto.
Last Saturday, Jokowi posted a video containing the Javanese phrase “laman sira sekti, aja mateni“ (even though you are powerful, do not knock down others), echoing a post-election television interview in which he cited the saying as one of his key philosophies.