TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - Social media is once again abuzz with the issue of the 7th Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi's fake diploma following an analysis by a former lecturer at the University of Mataram, Rismon Hasiholan Sianipar. He expressed doubt about the authenticity of Jokowi's diploma and thesis from Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

Rismon argued that Jokowi's thesis cover and approval sheet utilized the Times New Roman font, which he asserts was not available during the 1980s and 1990s. Jokowi graduated from the UGM Faculty of Forestry in 1985. This assertion has generated significant public debate

In response to these claims, Sigit Sunarta, the Dean of the UGM Faculty of Forestry, expressed regret regarding the dissemination of what he termed 'misleading information' by Rismon. Sigit emphasized that Rismon is an alumnus of the Electrical Engineering Study Program at UGM Faculty of Engineering.

"We deeply regret the misleading information conveyed by a lecturer who should be able to enlighten and educate the public with useful information," said Sigit, on Friday, March 21, 2025.

Sigit argued that as an academic, Rismon should have based his conclusions on factual evidence and rigorous research methodologies. He suggested that Rismon should have compared Jokowi's diploma and thesis with those produced by other students in the Faculty of Forestry during the same period.

In a video published on the Balige Academy YouTube channel, Rismon stated his belief that Jokowi's 1985 Forestry Bachelor's degree is inauthentic. "100 billion percent fake," he said, as quoted from the video released on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

Rismon's claims are based on two points: the font used on the diploma and the serial number, which he alleges is merely a photocopy. He argued that the use of the Times New Roman font is inconsistent with the technology available on November 5, 1985, the date of Jokowi's diploma issuance.

"Windows OS version 1.01 was released on November 20, 1985, or 15 days after Jokowi's diploma was issued by UGM. While Windows version 3.1 (where the Times New Roman font is used) was released on April 6, 1992. It's confirmed that this diploma is fake," Rismon stated in the video.

He also compared Jokowi's diploma with that of another UGM alumnus, Bambang Nurcahyo Prastowo. He asserted that Jokowi's diploma used the Times New Roman font, while Prastowo's diploma used a standard font associated with the DOS (Disk Operating System). "The font on Jokowi's diploma uses the Times New Roman font, while this (Prastowo's diploma) uses Windows," he said.

Addressing Rismon's claims, Sigit clarified that it was common practice for students to use Times New Roman or similar fonts for printing covers and approval sheets at printing services during that period. He mentioned that printing shops near the UGM campus, such as Prima and Sanur, offered thesis cover printing services.

"The fact that there were printing machines in Sanur and Prima should also be known to the person concerned (Rismon) because he also studied at UGM," said Sigit.

Sigit acknowledged that while Jokowi's thesis cover and approval sheet were printed at a printing house, the 91-page thesis itself was typed. "There are many student theses that use covers and approval sheets with printing machines," he added.

Regarding the serial number of Jokowi's diploma, which Rismon alleged lacked clusters and consisted solely of numbers, Sigit explained that the Faculty of Forestry had its own diploma numbering policy at that time, and there was no university-wide standardization. He stated that the numbering system applied to all graduates of the Faculty of Forestry, not just Jokowi.

"The number is based on the order of the student registration number that was graduated and added FKT, an abbreviation of the faculty name," said Sigit.

Sigit further reiterated his regret regarding Rismon's accusations. "It should be noted that Jokowi's diploma and thesis are genuine. He studied here, his classmates knew him well, he was active in student activities (Silvagama), he was recorded as taking many courses, working on a thesis, so his diploma issued by UGM is genuine," he concluded.

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