The Ijazah War In The Post-truth Era

Jokowi's certificate of authenticity is again questioned. (Illustration of VOI)

President Jokowi finally opened his voice. He will show his real diploma in court. But the public is already noisy. In a noisy digital space, the narrative has become a verdict. Not logic, but a leading perception.

This is not the first time this issue has emerged. But mid-2025 is the most noisy round. The Ulama Defenders Team and Activists (TPUA), a group that sued the authenticity of Jokowi's diploma, attacked again. This time it's neater. More confident. They came to Jokowi and UGM. Bring claims, demands, and ultimatum tones.

Jokowi reacted strongly. "There is no obligation for me to show them a diploma," he said. The statement immediately sparked a fire. Translated it as: 'Jokowi avoided it.' In fact, no. He chose the legal route. He did not remain silent. He prepared a counter-match: a lawsuit against allegations of defamation and character assassination.

But the internet has its own logic. On social media (Sosmed) such as TikTok, YouTube, IG, and X, the perception of berinak children. From the analysis of the type of letter in the diploma, photo format, to the conspiracy of unregistered thesis. Everything went viral. Everyone has an audience.

UGM has raised its voice. Firmly. Obviously. Through an official statement on campus pages, the Chancellor, the Dean, and the faculty confirmed Jokowi's original diploma. "Not lost, not fake," they said. But the public has already drowned in sensation. The fact is less rapid than slander.

The Alumni Family Extension Rescue Forum at Gadjah Mada University (Kagama Formation) The organization of UGM alumni even spoke up. They asked all parties to stop the polemic. But a sane voice like this sank in the middle of a clickbait wave.

Ganjar Pranowo, a PDIP cadre during his tenure as Chairman of Kagama, once gave a UGM alumni card to Jokowi. But now, the voice of PDIP itself is suing. Senior PDIP politician, Panda Nababan, challenged Jokowi to show his original diploma. Attacks came from outside and inside.

We live in the post-truth era. Where emotions are more trusted than data. Where screenshots are more valid than official documents. Diplomas are no longer proof of education, but political tools.

Digital society is no longer readers. They are judges. They compiled the charges, concluded, and punished them in seconds. No need for trial. No evidence. Just a one-minute TikTok or IG or X video.

Jokowi is now not only facing a lawsuit. He is facing a new form of power: power of perception.

This is more than just a hoax. This is a systematic effort to dismantle legitimacy. Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, assessed that UGM does not need to go too far in responding to the issue of Jokowi's fake diploma because the campus is a diploma publisher, not a forger.

This is where the danger point lies. When academic institutions are weakened, when the data is suspected, when each clarification is read as manipulation. The state lost its epistemological foothold.

No wonder, Jokowi's lawyer called this a character assassination. Not just slander. But a big design to undermine the authority of the former head of state for two terms through digital logic.

"If it's genuine, why not show it right away?" That's a lay question that keeps repeating itself. But doesn't this country have a procedure? Isn't there a legal mechanism?

Jokowi's legal team stated that the original diploma will only be shown in court. Because it is not their job to prove the truth in wild opinion. Because if this day is followed, new demands will appear tomorrow: thesis scan, master book, or even fingerprint.

This is not just Jokowi's matter. This is a matter of democracy. It's about how suspicion logic destroys academic credibility, undermines public trust, and creates a new pattern: law is replaced with virality.

We forget that diplomas are institutional products, not individuals. What is verified is not just a piece of paper, but an educational system. If UGM, one of the best campuses in Indonesia is considered a lie, then which campus can be trusted?

Also keep in mind, Jokowi went into politics at the beginning of the Mayor of Solo. It seems, if you use fake diplomas from the start, it has been detected. Because there have been many examples of politicians who were caught in fake diploma cases at the beginning of being elected.

Jokowi will show a diploma in court. But one thing is certain: the public is no longer waiting for documents. The public believes in narratives that suit taste.

We are witnessing a generation that believes in the fake Times New Roman font rather than the integrity of a president who has been legally elected twice.

Really, it's not about diplomas. It's about a nation that loses its ability to distinguish between loud and true voices.