Jokowi's Lampung Safari: Volunteers Claim It's a Public Request

Former President Joko Widodo will undertake a political safari to Lampung from 26 to 28 June 2026. The Chairman of the Regional Leadership Council of the Nusantara People’s Brigade for Lampung Province, Sarhani, stated that Jokowi’s arrival is based on public demand. “We invited him because we received a lot of information and input from the general public that they wanted to be visited by Mr Jokowi after his retirement as president,” he said when contacted on Wednesday, 24 June 2026. He explained that supporting volunteers subsequently wrote to Jokowi requesting him to conduct a safari in their region. Sarhani claimed the visit by the father of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka carries no political agenda. According to him, Jokowi is coming as an ordinary citizen. His arrival, he said, is solely for the purpose of maintaining ties with kiai and ulama, community figures, cultural practitioners, and the general public in Lampung. “They miss the figure of Jokowi, which is why they invited him to attend. The public is enthusiastic in welcoming him,” he stated. He said supporting volunteers will erect billboards to welcome Jokowi’s arrival in the southernmost region of Sumatra Island. “We will put up billboards as a form of appreciation from the volunteers because Mr Jokowi has taken the time to be present in Lampung,” said Sarhani. During his three days in Lampung, Jokowi will not only meet volunteers and traditional leaders. The 7th president is scheduled to visit a number of places, including the Al Qodiri Islamic Boarding School in Central Lampung, the Kota Gajah Market in Central Lampung, the Transmigration Museum in Pesawaran, a Cultural Parade in East Lampung, and the Darussalamah Braja Dewa Islamic Boarding School. Besides Lampung, Jokowi is also visiting East Nusa Tenggara and West Java. The Daily Chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) DPP, Ahmad Ali, urged that Jokowi’s political safari to the regions not be questioned. According to him, there is nothing wrong with Jokowi’s desire to meet and greet the public. Ali stated the former president simply wants to thank the people who voted for him. “It should be emulated by other predecessor presidents. Politics should not merely be about interests but about values,” he said.