Ministry of Presidents Hands Jokowi an Early Crown; Sitting Prabowo Crashes Into Silver

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Ministry of Presidents, Indonesian Desk, announces that the question of the greatest head of state in the nation's history, previously handled by historians, families and very long dinners, has been passed to an opinion market for faster processing. The Ministry expects the matter to be closed by the weekend, with any remaining disagreements filed under Appendix C (Everything).

The Ministry's background file is not short. Indonesia has had eight presidents since independence in 1945. The longest-serving, Suharto, governed from 1967 to 1998, and his legacy is described as deeply divisive. His supporters credit him with growth and Cold War stability, while his critics point to authoritarian rule, widespread corruption and serious human rights abuses. The ABC reports that under his New Order national poverty fell from forty-five per cent in 1970 to eleven per cent in 1996, as the broadcaster notes alongside the violence and the graft. Then there is Sukarno, the founding father, whose reputation is often held in higher esteem than Suharto's today. And then there is Jokowi, who NPR says came in promising to address past human rights abuses, but whose later moves to protect his own legacy alienated some supporters, and whose record on corruption in the courts was limited.

Given all that, the crowd on Morfi has issued its early ruling. Joko Widodo leads at 53% consensus with 7 holders. In second place, at 29% consensus with 6 holders, is Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October 2024 and is therefore being ranked against the history books while he is still writing in them. Also on the ballot: 4 other sides. So far 11 unique traders have put $77,416 behind their opinions, and the doors opened less than a day ago.

The Ministry's view, offered strictly as opinion, is that this is a fine and efficient result, and it proposes taking it to its logical end. From now on, presidential greatness should be ranked by how recently the president was on television. Under this framework the founding father of the nation is at a clear structural disadvantage, having had the bad manners to govern before the smartphone. Suharto's three decades, poverty charts and all, get filed as a scheduling issue. The Ministry also suggests that every sitting president be given an honorary silver medal on inauguration day, to save the crowd from having to vote for it.

What to watch next: whether Sukarno's backers turn up once the founding father's paperwork clears, whether anyone fights for Suharto's charts or against them, and whether Prabowo's incumbency bounce lasts longer than a news cycle. The Ministry reminds citizens that these figures come from opinion markets on Morfi, where people back their views with money. Readers who would like to correct the historical record can join the market and file their objections in person.