Rocky Gerung (born 20 January 1959) is an Indonesian political commentator, philosopher, academic and public intellectual.Profil, Biodata dan Agama Rocky Gerung, Ditolak Massa Saat Isi Acara di Sleman
Early life Rocky began studying at the University of Indonesia in 1979. He first entered the department of political science, which at that time joined the Faculty of Social Sciences, before deciding to move to the department of philosophy and graduated in 1986. During college, Rocky was close to the socialist-leaning activists such as Marsillam Simanjuntak and Hariman Siregar among others.Aksyah, Ramadhani (12 April 2018). Kisah Seorang Teman: Rocky Gerung yang Saya Ketahui . Republika.co.id, diakses 7 Oktober 2018.
Career After graduating, Rocky taught in the department as a non-permanent lecturer until the beginning of 2015. He stopped teaching due to the issuance of Law No. 14 of 2005 which requires a lecturer to have a minimum of a master's degree; whereas Rocky only holds a bachelor's degree. He was teaching courses such as the Seminar on Justice Theory, Political Philosophy, and Philosophy Research Methods; he also taught at the postgraduate program.Mamduh, Naufal (20 April 2018). Kontroversi Rocky Gerung: Disebut 'Profesor' Hingga 'Provokator'. Tirto.id, diakses 7 Oktober 2018.Sudrajat (23 April 2018). Rocky Gerung, Tak Punya Ijazah Tapi Mengajar Program Doktor. Detik.com, diakses 7 Oktober 2018.
Together with figures such as Abdurrahman Wahid and Azyumardi Azra, Rocky co-founded the Setara Institute, a think tank in the field of democracy and human rights, in 2005. As a philosopher, one of Rocky's fields of study was the philosophy of feminism. He wrote a lot in Jurnal Perempuan, a publication managed by the Women's Journal Foundation and founded by Gadis Arivia, his colleague at the University of Indonesia.Profil di situs resmi Institut SETARA, diakses 7 Oktober 2018.
Criticism of the Indonesian government Throughout Joko Widodo's presidency, Rocky maintained a stance of opposition to the government. Rocky has been labeled by Indonesia's Tempo newspaper on its podcast Bocor Alus Politik as the No.1 "State Palace enemy" due to his outspoken opposition to the government. News outlet Times of Indonesia describes Rocky as a figure "known for his critical academic perspective and expertise in logic". Doctor (of Philosophy) Otto Gusti Madung, the rector of Ledalero Institute of Philosophy and Creative Technology, regarded Rocky as an "exemplary intellectual" comparable to German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, and considered Rocky as the "conscience of the people who is able to guide society towards an understanding of ethical politics".Ledalero, IFTK. "Rektor IFTK Ledalero Sematkan Rocky Gerung Sebagai Habermas Di Indonesia." Institut Filsafat Dan Teknologi Kreatif Ledalero. Meanwhile, Haji Asmu'i Syarkowi, the High Judge of the Jayapura High Religious Court, described Rocky in his article as a person "well-known for his sharp criticism of the government" and use of "cutting remarks", but also considered him as one of the only two prominent figures in Indonesia whose "speeches compel the audience to pay close attention to every nuance of their words" other than President Abdurrahman Wahid. Due to his oppositional commentary, Rocky has been subjected to criticism, insults, and lawsuits by the pro-government,Kompas Cyber Media. "Polri: Ada 26 Laporan Ke Rocky Gerung, Beberapa Di Antaranya Dicabut." KOMPAS.com, 30 Nov. 2023,CNN Indonesia. "PDIP Resmi Laporkan Rocky Gerung Ke Bareskrim Soal Dugaan Hina Jokowi." Nasional CNN Indonesia, 2 Aug. 2023,Kompas Cyber Media. "Duduk Perkara Rocky Gerung Dilaporkan Polisi Oleh Relawan Jokowi." KOMPAS.com, 1 Aug. 2023. but also gained fame and supporters.Perizal, Sony Fitrah. "Selain Pasang Badan, Din Syamsuddin Ajak Masyarakat Dukung Rocky Gerung." RMOLJABAR.id, Retrieved 30 Aug. 2024.
In 2017, Rocky appeared on Indonesian TV show Indonesia Lawyers Club (ILC), which marked his entrance to mainstream media. On his first appearance on the show, he attacked Widodo's administration as being in a state of panic and taking extreme measures to maintain its power. He claimed that the president and the government had the means and motive to control the flow of information and to spread misinformation. When discussing about hoaxes, Rocky cited Widodo's dismissal and accusation on the lack of scientific rigor about the controversial book Jokowi Undercover as an example of a government-made hoax. He argued that only academic experts could determine a book's scientific validity. He alleged that "all the public discourse is taken over by the government" and the country is progressing into a totalitarian under Widodo's regime from the lack of freedom of information and speech. In another episode of the show, Rocky accused Widodo's administration of abusing the (UU ITE) to "handcuffs" any government critics into prison. He also argued that due to the ambiguity of the Indonesian word "kebebasan" (which can be translated in English as both freedom and liberty), he believed there has been a deliberate attempt to misuse the word to restrict people's freedom, which is an inalienable human rights, by falsely equating it to liberty, a system he propounded as more susceptible to limitations. On the show's episode discussing government's plan of moving Indonesia's capital from Jakarta to Borneo, Rocky questioned the administration's inconsistent and vague reasons for the relocation, particularly with the justification "not changing the capital but ..., to change the center of government", which he viewed the meaning to be "blur".
He connected the new capital city project with Widodo's earlier local-produced automotive project Esemka, and labeled the latter as a national-scale "fabrication" while the former as a "ludicrous" project. When the show ILC was cancelled from airing on TV for 2021, he criticized the government, said: “Because [the program] was considered a trouble, [now] one of the troubles has been eliminated" and "political talk shows should have been nurtured by the state". Rocky described the show ILC as "some kind of extracurricular" for the citizens that "sponsored [them] to be critical of [those in] power" and as a means to "preserve democracy". His popularity on the show has led to the coined of the catchphrase 'No Rocky No Party'.
In his views, Rocky believed that Widodo's administration is responsible for several offenses, including alleged mismanagement of the country's nickel mining industry, allowing "mafia" control over cooking oil supplies that led to shortages, destructing environment, committing erosion of democracy, and damaging harmony among the civilians. He frequently disparages Widodo's intellectual discernment in making policies. He has characterized Widodo as politically imprudent, often employing vitriolic rhetoric to convey this. During his trial on charges for offense against the Dignity of the Head of State, he made a statement to the judge: “This president has a flawed logic, incapable of thinking because [of] foolish". In his defense, Rocky asserted that he was only criticizing Widodo on his role as Head of State and his policies, not on his personal. Rocky claimed that Widodo has previously expressed concern about the country's traffic congestion but made a policy to subsidies electric motorcycles, which Rocky used as an example of what he perceived as Widodo's "erroneous logic" and political ineptitude. On another occasion, he also commented on Widodo's diplomatic and communication skills. According to Rocky, when addressing conflict of terrors from religious leaders, a president should have made a conciliatory statement, meanwhile he accused Widodo's response as having the potential to further exacerbate divisions and worsen the situation. "[A]t that time, Mr. Joko Widodo said: For those who are intolerant, [there is] no place; such is the reaction of a president that increases our anxiety," he said. Rocky accused Widodo's government of harbouring covert enemies by exploiting terrorism issues. Rocky also directed criticism on Widodo's public speaking, deeming it "embarrassing" as a citizens to witness. Rocky characterized Widodo as president who is "nervous and stammering," "stupid before the world's press," and "incapable to fully utilize the intellect bestowed upon him by God".
In one of the episodes of podcast Bocor Alus Politik by Tempo newspaper, Rocky alleged that Widodo was attempting to build a legacy on projects that were not part of his election promises, meanwhile many of his initial campaign promises remain unfulfilled. One such project that Rocky has significantly excoriated is the construction of Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), the new capital city of Indonesia, which he described as a "stalled" project that lacks investors and is consuming a staggering portion of the state budget (estimated at Rp446 trillion), and was not in Widodo's initial campaign promises that got him elected by the people. This is the project which the plan he previously called as ludicrous. Furthermore, Rocky decried that Widodo's policies have disproportionately impacted the middle class, leading to increased economic hardship. Rocky claimed the occurrence of phenomenons of civilians sleeping hungry, surging numbers in psychosomatic stomach ulcers, and growing reliance on ready-to-eat meals are examples of the people's economic anxiety and the unaffordability of food ingredients caused by the administration's policies. Rocky expounded that Widodo's tenures saw a decrease in the amount of resource profits returned to the country compared to the administrations of President Soeharto and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He condemned Widodo's use of state budget for IKN construction as "cruel" because he believes it deprives the common people of their right to justice and access to proper nutrition for the sake of Widodo's infrastructure "ambitions" which he contended as "useless" for public welfare. Additionally, Rocky criticized Widodo's policy of obliging workers to pay contributions to the Public Housing Savings (Tapera). He believed the scheme was not actually for public housing, but rather "a way to plug the state budget deficit" to continue to finance Widodo's national projects. Rocky questioned, "How do we know [if the funds] are also used or invested elsewhere and ..., used for the new capital city (IKN)?" He called Tapera as a "law-based extortion by the state".Puspitasari, Indah (14 June 2024). "Komentari Iuran Tapera yang Dibebankan ke Pekerja, Rocky Gerung: Pemerasan Berbasis Hukum". AyoBandung.com.