Facts Behind Jokowi's Return to Blusukan, Starting in Lampung with a PSI Cap

The seventh President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), has finally returned to the arena of practical politics after stepping down from office in October 2024. Jokowi’s comeback involves ‘blusukan’ visits to a number of regions, similar to those he conducted while still holding political office. This time, he is campaigning for the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), which is led by his youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep. Lampung province was the first region he visited alongside volunteers and PSI members. Jokowi admitted that his presence in the province known as the ‘Gateway to Sumatra Island’ was for PSI. ‘Why did I come to Lampung Province? Why did I come to Mesuji Regency? Firstly, my love for the people of Lampung has not faded, it remains,’ he said at the PSI Mesuji Regional Leadership Council Coordination Meeting on Friday evening. ‘And secondly, more importantly, it is also for PSI,’ he continued. Jokowi explained that the main reason for making Lampung the first province visited was because PSI there has almost completed 100 per cent of its party structure down to the village level. ‘I want to give high appreciation, respect, and honour to the General Chairman, the Provincial Board Chairman, the Regional Board Chairman, and all their ranks who have completed the party structure down to the village level. I see others are still at 60 per cent, 40 per cent, but here it is almost 100 per cent,’ said Jokowi, who is also the father of Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. On that occasion, Jokowi advised the PSI Mesuji DPD to make the party structures already established in the villages come alive and work for the community. ‘The next step is to make that structure live and work. What does it mean to live and work? It means that you, the board members, must always be close to the community, not just when elections are approaching, but daily you must be close to the people’s lives,’ Jokowi said. ‘For example, when there is a death, offer condolences, attend. When there is a tahlilan, come. When there is a yasinan, be present. When there is a wedding, come and give congratulations. If there is any problem in Mesuji Regency, you can help assist and resolve it,’ he added. Jokowi also set a target for PSI to enter the House of Representatives in the upcoming 2029 Legislative Election. Jokowi was in Lampung for three days, from Friday to Sunday. The areas in Lampung province visited included Mesuji, West Tulangbawang, Pesawaran, Bandar Lampung, and East Lampung. Jokowi flew from his hometown of Solo, Central Java, on Friday morning. He was seen wearing a white shirt and cap bearing the PSI logo, which he said were gifts from his youngest son and PSI General Chairman, Kaesang Pangarep. ‘Yes, they were sent by Chairman Kaesang, so I wore them,’ Jokowi said at Solo’s Adi Soemarmo Airport. Jokowi is indeed blusukan with PSI to meet residents. Besides Lampung, as an initial phase, he is said to be visiting West Java and East Nusa Tenggara as well. ‘The event rundown has been prepared, both from volunteers and PSI, everything is packed,’ he said. He stated his presence at the PSI event was to act as a motivator for the party cadres led by Kaesang. Among other things, Jokowi will emphasise the importance of strengthening the party’s management structure in preparation for the 2029 elections. ‘For PSI, I want to provide motivation and also convey important messages about completing the structural organisation of PSI immediately, so it becomes a large political machine,’ said Jokowi.