Mita Amalia Hapsari, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Thursday that allegations he forged his university diploma had gone too far, telling a Jakarta court that years of accusations had damaged his reputation and were based on claims he described as baseless.

In a rare and dramatic courtroom appearance by a former Indonesian head of state, Jokowi took the witness stand to confront his accusers and displayed his original academic certificates before the judges, the defendants, defense lawyers, courtroom spectators and members of the public watching the proceedings on television.

Jokowi appeared as a witness in a defamation trial involving former Youth and Sports Minister Roy Suryo and social media activist Tifauzia Tyassuma, widely known as Dr. Tifa, who have repeatedly questioned the authenticity of his bachelor's degree from Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

Among the allegations Jokowi challenged was Roy's claim that the photograph on his university diploma belonged to a distant relative named Dumatno Budi Utomo rather than to Jokowi himself.

Jokowi pointed out that Dumatno was born in 1977, making him just eight years old when UGM issued the diploma in 1985.

"Dumatno Budi Utomo is a distant cousin of mine. He was born in 1977. That means he was only eight years old when I graduated," Jokowi told the court.

Roy had made the allegation in a widely viewed YouTube video, claiming that the photograph on Jokowi's diploma had been replaced with one showing another person.

Quoting Roy's statement from the video, Jokowi said: "So the photograph on the diploma is actually not Jokowi. We have concluded that it belongs to someone else named Dumatno Budi Utomo."

Jokowi questioned the logic of that allegation.

"Why would I replace the photograph on a diploma I had legitimately earned with Dumatno's photograph? Once again, he was only eight years old at the time, Your Honor," Jokowi said.

'I felt deeply humiliated'

Jokowi also explained why he had consulted legal advisers and eventually pursued legal action against those questioning his academic credentials.

He said accusations circulated across social media platforms had continued for years and had crossed the boundaries of reasonable criticism.

"I felt deeply insulted and humiliated," Jokowi told the court.

"I was also accused of using a forged diploma to run for mayor twice, governor once and president twice, Your Honor," he added.

Jokowi served two terms as mayor of Solo in Central Java before becoming Jakarta governor and subsequently winning two presidential elections.

He has consistently denied allegations that he forged his academic credentials, while UGM has repeatedly confirmed that he graduated from its Faculty of Forestry.

Jokowi responds to thesis font allegation

During the hearing, Jokowi also addressed allegations that his undergraduate thesis had been fabricated, including questions raised by Roy about the typeface used on its cover.

The accusations centered on the use of Times New Roman, which Roy and other critics claimed was not available in 1985, when Jokowi completed his studies.

Jokowi identified his thesis supervisor as Prof. Achmad Soemitro and said he had defended the thesis on Oct. 23, 1985, before examiners Sofyan Warsito and P. Burhanuddin.

He acknowledged that he did not know the history of the Times New Roman typeface but rejected the suggestion that its appearance on his thesis proved the document had been forged.

"If they say the Times New Roman lettering on the cover did not exist in 1985, the fact is that thousands of theses printed at Perdana Printing at the time also used the same typeface," Jokowi said.

"It was not just my thesis, Your Honor," he added.

Jokowi's testimony is part of his effort to challenge allegations that have persisted since before his first presidential election victory in 2014.

The former president has maintained that his university diploma and other academic records are genuine, while some of those who previously questioned their authenticity have withdrawn their allegations and apologized.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/this-has-gone-too-far-jokowi-rebuts-diploma-forgery-claims-in-cour