Former President Joko Widodo's recent political tour to Lampung has drawn sharp public attention, not merely because of his regional visit, but due to the traditional procession during the conferment of the title "Baginda Pemuka Bangsa". As part of the ceremony, Jokowi performed a ritual of stepping on a slaughtered buffalo's head, a tradition interpreted in Lampung custom as a symbol of humility and the casting away of bad traits.
However, through the lens of political communication, the action triggered a wave of diverse interpretations. Many connected the visualization of the buffalo anatomy to PDI Perjuangan's bull symbol. This phenomenon created a tension of meaning between sacred cultural values and political perceptions fraught with ideological interests amid the dynamics of Jokowi's relationship with his former political party.
From a dramaturgical perspective, Jokowi—who still possesses strong political magnetism—is seen as always operating on the front stage, where every non-verbal gesture becomes public consumption. The use of cultural symbols as instruments of political communication provides a safe space for the actor; if met with criticism, the narrative of cultural preservation can serve as a shield, while the latent message or political innuendo has already been effectively conveyed to the audience.
This situation demonstrates how vulnerable local cultural values are when drawn into the vortex of national political interests. The use of public algorithms that amplify cognitive bias causes the original meaning of a traditional ritual to be marginalized by political narrative interests. For observers, this tour serves as a marker that Jokowi has actively returned to managing the post-presidential political stage, with his support now increasingly clearly directed toward the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI).
