[7][8] As governor, he reinvigorated local politics, introduced publicised blusukan visits (unannounced spot checks)[9] and improved the city's bureaucracy, reducing corruption in the process.

[47] As mayor, he became personally involved in an incident just before Christmas 2011 when the Surakarta municipality had overdue bills of close to $1 million (IDR 8.9 billion) owed to the state-owned electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN).

To reinforce the point, Jokowi made a highly publicised personal visit to the local PLN office to deliver the IDR 8.9 billion in cash in the form of hundreds of bundles of notes and even small coins.

[53] He was later chosen as the 'Tempo Leader of Choice' by Tempo news magazine (2008) and received a 'Changemakers Award' from Republika newspaper (2010); his name also started being considered in national polls for the governorship of Jakarta, long before PDI-P's nomination, including those by University of Indonesia and Cyrus Network (2011).

[55] Despite disappointment from some Surakarta residents that he would not complete his second term as mayor,[56] Jokowi ran in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election and defeated the incumbent Fauzi Bowo in a runoff round.

During these visits, he wore simple, informal clothes and stopped at markets or walked along narrow Jakarta alleys to listen and witness firsthand issues addressed by residents, such as the price of food, housing difficulties, flooding, and transportation.

[78][79] Jokowi met with Pluit residents and Komnas HAM to explain the evictions were necessary for restoring water catchment to reduce flooding and that families were being relocated to low-cost apartments.

[130][131][132] In September 2023, during a public rally, Jokowi stated that he was in possession of intelligence information collected by government agencies (naming BIN and BAIS) on internal workings of political parties.

[135] On 12 February 2024, investigative journalist Dandhy Laksono released a documentary on YouTube directed by him, titled Dirty Vote, alleging that Jokowi used state funds to support Prabowo's campaign.

[141] Jokowi in 2015 said he would not grant clemency for drug offenders sentenced to death, arguing Indonesia was in a state of emergency over drug-related crimes, citing statistics the Jakarta Globe reported to be faulty.

[17][147] Australia reduced its foreign aid to Indonesia by nearly half,[148] and Amnesty International issued a condemnation saying they showed a "complete disregard for due process and human rights safeguards".

[149] Former Indonesian Constitutional Court chief justice Jimly Asshiddiqie, who was a key player in the anti-death penalty lobby in Jakarta, said the push for the execution of Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan had come from Jokowi personally.

On 22 May 2019, amid post-election riots by supporters of losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, the government limited the speed at which photos and videos could be shared on social media to stop people from being incited by fake news and calls for violence.

[171][172] In the aftermath, Amnesty International's Indonesian office denounced repressive measures against the demonstrators, condemned them as a grave human rights abuse and demanded the government investigate the extrajudicial executions in the clashes.

[178][179] The president's subsequent defence of the police during their duty and his statement that no citizens should break the law or harm the country[180][181] was criticised by FPI secretary-general Munarman as a justification of human rights abuse and structural violence.

[208] Additionally, the government also implemented a single-price program, aiming to sell fuel through official channels at the same price nationally, including in isolated parts of Kalimantan and Papua.

[216] In 2016, the administration signed into law a tax amnesty bill following a lengthy public debate and push back, giving wealthy Indonesians a chance to declare their unreported assets before the government would strengthen rules and oversight around imports and exports.

[251] The Jokowi administration continued its predecessor's natural resource nationalism policy, increasing the government's shareholding in multinational companies such as Freeport McMoRan, TotalEnergies and Chevron.

[260] He stated that Jakarta could no longer tolerate a situation where over 5,000 ships are operating illegally in its waters every day, making a mockery out of Indonesian sovereignty and resulting in annual losses of over $20 billion.

"[264] In June 2016, he held a cabinet meeting off the islands aboard the Indonesian Navy corvette KRI Imam Bonjol, calling to step up maritime patrols in the area.

[265] Under his administration, Indonesia has released an "Indo-Pacific Vision" for ASEAN countries, which calls for regional architecture and considers the Indian and Pacific Oceans as a single interconnected geostrategic area.

[278] During a press conference at the White House on 14 November 2023, Jokowi called for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war, "for the sake of humanity," and urged US President Joe Biden to do more to end "atrocities" in the Gaza Strip.

[302] According to The Economist, Jokowi "has a penchant for loud rock music" and owned a bass guitar signed by Robert Trujillo of heavy metal band Metallica which was confiscated by the KPK.

[303] In November 2017, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who was on an official visit to Jakarta, gave Jokowi a Metallica Master of Puppets vinyl box set as a diplomatic gift.

[319] After the passing of several controversial bills and repressive actions by security forces against large protests since 2019,[320] his government was criticized for "Neo-authoritarianism," which was linked to the New Order regime (Indonesia during Suharto's presidency).

Jokowi again attracted widespread controversy and protests from various elements of society when he proposed Commissioner General Budi Gunawan to the DPR in mid-January 2015 as the sole candidate for National Police Chief.

[329] In the end, Badrodin Haiti was officially appointed as National Police Chief by President Jokowi on April 17, 2015,[330] then replaced by Tito Karnavian, while Budi Gunawan assumed the position of Head of BIN.

[358] A variation of this quote is made by his youngest son Kaesang Pangarep when Najwa Shihab in her talkshow asked about Jokowi's hobby of raising tadpoles, in which he replied, "Ya tanya bapak.

[380] 2024: Received "FAO Agricola Medal" from Food and Agriculture Organization for making great progress in transforming Indonesia's agrifood system within the context of sustained economic growth, even in the face of global challenges and uncertainties, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

[391] 2022: Received the customary title "Mosalaki Ulu Beu Eko Bewa" from the Ende Community, which means leader of the entire Indonesian region from Sabang to Merauke.