In Response to JK's Statement, Jokowi: I Am a Village Person

President of the Republic of Indonesia’s 7th term, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), responded regarding the statement by the Republic of Indonesia’s 10th and 12th Vice President, M Jusuf Kalla (JK), related to the victory of that pair in the 2014 Presidential Election (Pilpres). He commented casually in response to JK’s claim. “Well, I am nobody. I am a village person,” he said when met by the media in front of his house in the Sumber area, Solo City, Central Java, on Monday (20/4/2026). When asked about JK’s statement claiming the country was ruined because of him during his time as president, Jokowi only gave a brief answer. According to him, it is not he who judges whether Indonesia is ruined or not. “The one who judges is not me,” said the former Solo mayor. Previously, JK alluded to having a good relationship with Jokowi, bringing him as Governor of DKI. “What more do you want from me? I am the one who brought him to Jakarta,” he said. JK also contributed to winning Jokowi in the 2012 DKI Gubernatorial Election (Pilgub). “I am the one who helped Jokowi. Ask him. Let me show you this photo. He was still wearing his checkered shirt. Don’t make things up like that,” JK said.