Hasto: Indonesia Has Become a Populist Authoritarian State Under Jokowi's Presidency

Secretary-General of PDI Perjuangan Hasto Kristiyanto stated that President Joko Widodo’s second term transformed Indonesia into a populist authoritarian state. This was conveyed by Hasto during a speech at the Pancasila Birth Anniversary event at the PDI Perjuangan Party School in South Jakarta on 1 June 2026. Initially, Hasto lamented that Indonesia’s political and economic democracy had shifted to a centralised system, attributing the change to Jokowi’s administration. ‘Especially during Jokowi’s second term, Indonesia has become a populist authoritarian state,’ Hasto said. During the latter part of Jokowi’s presidency, Hasto noted that the legal system had become subservient to power, with law enforcement and state apparatus reduced to tools for electoral mobilisation and protectors of the ruling elite. ‘This occurred during the 2024 election, hence at the National Working Meeting, PDI Perjuangan apologised to the Indonesian people for the shift in power’s nature due to ambition,’ Hasto stated. According to Hasto, this transformation in the legal landscape has led to numerous cases of political judicialisation. A fair legal system is fundamental, he added. ‘Without a just legal system, everything becomes expensive and uncertain,’ he said. PDI Perjuangan expelled Jokowi, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Bobby Nasution from the party on Monday, 16 December 2024. DPP PDI Perjuangan’s Honourary Affairs Head Komarudin Watubun announced the expulsions before all provincial party chairpersons. ‘The DPP will announce the expulsion decisions for Mr Joko Widodo, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Mr Bobby Nasution, along with 27 other members,’ Komarudin said in a video received by Tempo. The expulsion letters stemmed from recommendations by the Party Ethics and Discipline Committee’s Consultative Meeting on 11 October 2024, documented in Recommendation Extracts No. 8/K.E.D-PDIP/X/2024, No. 9/K.E.D-PDIP/X/2024, and No. 10/K.E.D-PDIP/X/2024. According to Recommendation Extract No. 10/K.E.D-PDIP/X/2024, PDIP stated that Jokowi’s actions as a party member serving as president from 2014-2019 and 2019-2024 violated the party’s 2019 constitution and bylaws. He was also found guilty of breaching party ethics and discipline for supporting candidates from other parties. ‘By openly opposing the DPP’s decision regarding the presidential and vice-presidential candidates Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD, backed by PDI Perjuangan in the 2024 election, and supporting candidates from other political parties (the Indonesia Maju Coalition),’ the document stated in point 7. Additionally, the seventh president was accused of abusing power to interfere with the Constitutional Court. This abuse was deemed the starting point of the deterioration of the democratic system, legal framework, and national ethical-moral life. ‘Such violations are categorised as serious breaches of party ethics and discipline,’ it added.