How Effective Can Jokowi's Visit Be in Strengthening PSI? Here's a Survey Institute's Analysis

The head of the Indonesian Political Parameters (PPI) survey institute, Adi Prayitno, assesses that the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) political safari to East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is aimed more at strengthening the electoral position of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) rather than rebuilding his personal political image. According to Adi, Jokowi’s position as a national figure has passed the image-building phase. Therefore, the visit to the region, long known as his support base, is considered more directed at converting that popularity into support for PSI. “I think the purpose of this kind of safari visit to NTT is to convert people who are considered to support Jokowi, who like Jokowi, into supporting PSI. So for me, the safaris carried out by Jokowi are aimed at enlarging PSI,” Adi said when contacted on Monday (3/8/2026). He considers that if the visit was only aimed at strengthening Jokowi’s position as a national figure, the momentum would no longer be relevant. “If it’s just to strengthen Jokowi’s position on the national political stage, that time has passed, because Jokowi has surpassed all that. He has been a governor, he has been a president. So for me, this is purely an effort to boost PSI’s votes through Jokowi,” he said. Nonetheless, Adi reminded that the high level of public enthusiasm in welcoming Jokowi does not necessarily correlate directly with electoral support for PSI. “There is no guarantee that people who turn out in crowds to welcome him will automatically vote for PSI. The measure is how to convert that enthusiastic welcome into support,” he said.