Few political controversies in Indonesia have proven as resilient as the debate over Jokowi’s university diploma. First emerging during the 2014 presidential election, the allegation that Jokowi’s degree from the Forestry Faculty of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) was fabricated has resurfaced repeatedly over the past decade. Courts, the police and the university itself have repeatedly stated that Jokowi graduated legitimately in 1985. Yet the controversy refuses to disappear, illustrating how political narratives—once embedded in the public sphere—can acquire a life of their own. To subscribe please click here
