Jokowi Denies Political Meaning in Stepping on Buffalo Head During Adat Ritual

Former President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, has rejected suggestions that stepping on a buffalo head during a traditional procession in Lampung held any political meaning. He stated that the procession was a customary ritual passed down through generations. Jokowi placed his foot on the buffalo head while receiving the honorary title of Baginda Pemuka Bangsa from the Istana Kedatun Kerajaan Lampung on Saturday, 27 June 2026. Photographs of the procession subsequently circulated widely on social media, prompting various interpretations. ‘It is a customary ritual. Once again, it is a customary ritual that has been performed not just once or twice, but hundreds of times,’ Jokowi told journalists at his residence in Sumber, Banjarsari, Solo, Central Java, on Tuesday, 7 July 2026. He described the political interpretation of the procession as excessive and called on the public not to drag every event into the political sphere. ‘Do not pull everything into the political realm; it often does not connect,’ he said. According to Jokowi, the procession was a form of respect from the Lampung traditional community. During his visit to the province, he received an honorary title from the Istana Kedatuan Kerajaan Lampung. ‘It was a form of respect from the traditional community in Lampung, a form of respect from the Istana Kedatuan Kerajaan Lampung. I felt honoured to receive the award,’ he said. Jokowi emphasised that Indonesia possesses a wealth of diverse cultures and traditions that must be respected and preserved. He therefore urged the public to understand traditional processions within their cultural context, rather than solely from a political perspective. ‘We must continue to respect customs, respect local wisdom, and respect our cultures, because our culture is very diverse,’ Jokowi stated. Previously, PDI-P politician Mohamad Guntur Romli had responded to the circulating photograph. PDI-P, the party that once served as Jokowi’s political vehicle, assessed that the act of stepping on a buffalo head was laden with political symbolism. The party, which uses a bull as its symbol, viewed the gesture as reflecting an ambition for power by its former cadre. ‘The buffalo head being stepped on symbolises Jokowi’s followers and PSI who are beguiled by royal behaviour, when in fact it is an ambition for unlimited power for Jokowi’s family,’ Guntur said via text message on Sunday, 28 June 2026. Guntur added that Jokowi’s political behaviour after parting ways with PDI-P had been studied by PDI-P Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto in his dissertation. He said the study concluded that Jokowi was building a leadership model characterised by authoritarian populism. He assessed that Jokowi’s leadership combined feudalistic elements with a self-perception as a king, populism through the distribution of aid to attract public sympathy, and Machiavellian traits that place power as the ultimate goal. According to Guntur, Jokowi continues to attempt to maintain and strengthen his political influence despite having completed two terms as president. He noted that this tendency persists even though members of Jokowi’s family still hold strategic positions in government and political parties. Meanwhile, the Chair of the Central Java Regional Board of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), Antonius Yogo Prabowo, previously stated that stepping on a buffalo head during the traditional procession in Lampung was part of a long-standing customary ritual. ‘We see it as a customary ritual. This is a tradition that has been practised for a long time, not only when Mr Jokowi visited. Mr Jokowi respected the existing customs; there was no other intention,’ Yogo told journalists. He said the matter had also been discussed internally within PSI. According to him, the tradition of stepping on a buffalo head is part of the procedure for bestowing an honorary customary title upon a guest and was not created specifically for Jokowi’s visit to Lampung. ‘If others have different perceptions, that is their business. But we know for certain that Mr Jokowi, as a guest, was respecting local customs,’ he said. Yogo stressed that similar processions are also performed for other guests who receive honorary titles from sultans or traditional leaders. He noted that the ritual only drew attention because it was Jokowi who performed it. ‘It is actually normal when guests are presented with a customary ritual that requires stepping on a buffalo head. What makes it unusual is that it was Mr Jokowi who did it,’ he said. Yogo added that his party had also received an explanation that the tradition has been practised for a long time and is not related to any political symbols or messages.