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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers) strongly criticizes President Prabowo Subianto's statements, which are considered to humiliate the role of journalists during the coverage of a plenary cabinet meeting on January 22, 2025.
At the time, President Prabowo said the relationship between journalists and public officials as children and parents. He also asked journalists to leave the room during the plenary cabinet meeting.
"The president's joke, which likened the relationship between journalists and public officials as children and parents, humiliates the role of journalists as the fourth pillar of democracy and disregards the fulfillment of the right to information," said LBH Pers Executive Director Ade Wahyudin in a written statement on January 27, 2025.
Ade said the press is a crucial element in ensuring the right to information, following Article 28F of the 1945 Constitution and Article 4, paragraph (3) of Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press. These provisions said that the press has the freedom to seek, obtain, and disseminate information.
The right to information is a human right that must be guaranteed by the state to implement transparent, accountable, and democratic governance.
According to Ade, the press is a connecting bridge between the three branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—and the public. Therefore, it is inappropriate for the president, who is equal within a democratic system, to look down on a fundamental element of democracy.
LBH Pers also raised concerns about the president’s manner of asking journalists to leave the room during the plenary cabinet meeting, noting that it could be justified in the context of a closed meeting. Ade said that Article 8, paragraph (1) of Government Regulation Number 61 of 1951 on the Council of Ministers states, "Meetings of the Council of Ministers are usually closed and confidential."
This indicates that cabinet meetings are generally closed, especially when discussing information related to national security, the protection of individuals, or certain legally protected secrets.
“However, the president’s way of conveying it through a demeaning joke instead reflects arrogance and antipathy toward the press,” said Ade.
Ade said that attitude not only demonstrates a lack of understanding of the press's role as a democracy keeper but also reveals excessive control over public information. “This action reinforces an authoritarian impression that could threaten press freedom and democratic space in Indonesia,” said Ade.
LBH Pers asked President Prabowo Subianto to make a public apology to the journalists present on January 22, 2025, and also to the press community in general. Additionally, LBH Pers asked the president to demonstrate his commitment to ensuring the fulfillment of press freedom and the public's right to information, as mandated by the 1945 Constitution and Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press.
"The president's statements and actions must align with respect for democracy and human rights. The state must act as a protector, not a barrier, to press freedom," he said.
Ade said that the statements made on January 22 extend President Prabowo's negative record in handling the press, often showing a demeaning attitude toward journalists' work. According to Ade, such actions set a bad example for the head of state, potentially weakening public trust in the press and endangering the process of healthy democracy.
“The gesture of expelling journalists and the disrespectful treatment of the press are a real threat to press freedom and the right to information,” he said.
Previously, President Prabowo made a joke to the journalists who were covering the plenary cabinet meeting of the Red and White Cabinet at the National Palace in Central Jakarta, on Wednesday afternoon, January 22, 2025. The President asked the journalists to leave the room after he delivered a 30-minute open briefing in front of the media.
Prabowo said the journalists had already gathered plenty of material to report from his half-hour speech. “That’s all I have for now. Media friends, I think you’ve got enough material,” said Prabowo, as his cabinet colleagues responded.
Prabowo also said that he had spoken openly for a long time. According to him, this did not happen during President Joko Widodo's or Jokowi's administration. He then said that there were things he wanted to discuss that the media should not hear. He compares the media to children waiting for their parents to speak while asking the journalists to leave.
"I think the media is still young. So, there are things that, when the parents speak, the younger ones, the children, usually wait outside. Isn’t that right? Thank you for now," said Prabowo with a smile, as the cabinet members applauded.
This is not the first time Prabowo has remarked on journalists. The chair of the Gerindra Party once said that journalists with low salaries share the same heart as the people who support him.
"Many journalists are in disguise these days. But if they are good journalists, their hearts are with us because their salaries are low. Those with low salaries have the same heart as us," said Prabowo when meeting his supporters at the Bumi Wiyata Hotel in Depok, West Java, on Sunday, April 1, 2018.
Prabowo also said journalists are not part of the elite, which refers to the leadership elements or the most educated people in the nation. "Journalists are not elite. Sorry, you're still... The editor-in-chief is elite. Especially the media owners. They are elite," he said.
Prabowo’s remarks about journalists began when he discussed his time in the military. He said that most of his soldiers were Sundanese. According to Prabowo, Sundanese soldiers have a characteristic of having a delicate physique.
"But when it comes to battle, the tiger comes out. They are very brave in combat. Once the fight begins, they don’t want to lie down. They attack while saying words that I can’t repeat because there are many cameras here. There are many journalists, I see," Prabowo said.
Friski Riana and Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article.
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