Jokowi Confesses Once Called Plonga-Plongo, Authoritarian, Until Mr. Bipang (Mr. Pork Roast)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that being called 'The King of Lip Service' is not the first nickname he has received. This was conveyed in response to the upload of the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM UI).

According to him, this kind of nickname has been assigned to him for a long time and many have negative connotations.

"Yes, it's been a long time, yes. There used to be someone who said I was a klemar-klemer (slow motion, lazy)", said Jokowi in a video caption that was shown on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Tuesday, June 29.

"Then someone said I was a plonga-plongo (mouth open, dumbfounded), then changed again I was an authoritarian, then someone said I was a lame duck, and recently someone said I was a Mr. Bipang (Mr. Pork Roast)", he added.

While the most recent nickname is 'The King of Lip Service' given by BEM UI. However, Jokowi sees this as a form of student expression and he asks the university not to stop him.

"Lastly, someone said that I was 'The King of Lip Service'. Yes, I think this is a form of student expression and this is a democratic country. So criticism is okay, universities don't need to prevent students from expressing themselves", he said.

Even so, the former Governor of DKI Jakarta reminded that in expressing or criticizing all parties without exception, it is necessary to remember the existence of a culture of manners and manners.

In addition, he emphasized that the government is focusing on controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, which is currently increasing significantly.

"Remember, we have a culture of etiquette, we have a culture of politeness", said Jokowi.

Previously reported, BEM UI gave sharp criticism to President Joko Widodo by calling him the 'King of Lip Service'.

This criticism was shared on various social media belonging to BEM UI, from Twitter to Instagram. In his upload, the student executive body highlighted various promises made by Jokowi that were not kept and said that the former governor of DKI Jakarta often made promises.

"JOKOWI: THE KING OF LIP SERVICE. Hello, UI and Indonesia! Jokowi often sells his sweet promises, but the reality is often not in harmony. He said this, the fact was that", was quoted from the BEM MUI Instagram account.

Various promises ranging from the issue of revising the ITE Law to strengthening the KPK are considered inconsistent. "Everything indicates that the words that were uttered were nothing more than a mere form of lip service", they asserted.