Head of the Government Communication Agency (Bakom) of the Republic\nof Indonesia, Muhammad Qodari, has declined to respond to criticism of\nPresident Prabowo Subianto\u2019s remarks referring to journalists and\nobservers as \u2018Londo Ireng\u2019.<\/p>\n
Qodari asked members of the media not to focus on the polemic over\nthe term, but rather to pay attention to the substance of Prabowo\u2019s\nspeech. He then invited the press to look at the president\u2019s speeches in\ntheir entirety, which he said consistently defended the people\u2019s\ninterests.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, regarding the president\u2019s remarks \u2014 his speeches \u2014 let us\nlook at the whole series of the president\u2019s speeches; all of them are in\ndefence of the people\u2019s interests,\u201d Qodari said in Surabaya on Tuesday\n(28\/7).<\/p>\n
Qodari outlined a number of topics he said were the main focus of\nPrabowo\u2019s speeches, ranging from farmers\u2019 welfare to energy\nprogrammes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe president\u2019s speeches have been extremely consistent in speaking\nabout improving farmers\u2019 welfare, the living standards of farmers and\nfishermen, food security, rice self-sufficiency, energy resilience, the\nachievement of B50,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also touched on several other achievements he said were\nhighlighted in Prabowo\u2019s speeches, from the Masela block project to\nalleged under-invoicing and transfer pricing practices that cost the\nstate dearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there is how the Masela block, after 28 years, has finally\nbegun. Then how he revealed the existence of under-invoicing and\ntransfer pricing practices that cost the state Rp500 trillion to Rp600\ntrillion every year \u2014 all of that is to be stopped,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to Qodari, these were the real points of substance from\nPrabowo\u2019s speech that deserved attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, God willing, if we focus on the substance, those are the true\nkey points of the president\u2019s speech,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When asked about demands from several journalists\u2019 professional\norganisations for Prabowo to apologise, Qodari refused to answer.<\/p>\n
When the same question was posed again, including whether there was\nany data underpinning Prabowo\u2019s statement, Qodari simply repeated the\nsame answer without elaborating.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us look at the substance, friends. The substance, friends,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Previously, Prabowo had mocked those who in colonial times were\nreferred to as \u2018londo ireng\u2019. In Indonesian history, \u2018Londo Ireng\u2019\nrefers to indigenous people considered traitors for assisting or working\nfor the Dutch colonisers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese Londo-Londo Ireng still exist to this day. Only now they wear\ndifferent clothes, don\u2019t they? Journalists, reporters, what have you \u2014\nobservers, NGOs. NGOs we must ask: who pays your salary? Who pays your\nelectricity? Who pays for your mobile phone?\u201d Prabowo said in his speech\nat the peak of the 28th anniversary celebration of the PKB in Jakarta on\nThursday (23\/7).<\/p>\n
Prabowo argued that since colonial times, there have been Indonesians\nwho were unpatriotic and instead served other nations. At the same time,\nhe mocked certain media outlets which he suggested ignored the fact that\nhis government had renovated large numbers of school buildings.<\/p>\n
He said his government has so far repaired more than 67,000 school\nbuildings across Indonesia, and that next year he has instructed for the\nfigure to be increased to 100,000 schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuildings that went untouched for years. Brothers and sisters, there\nare also media outlets that\u2026 you know? Even though we have repaired\n67,000 schools, they go looking for a school that hasn\u2019t been repaired,\ntake a big photo of it, put it on the front page \u2014 oh dear,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bakom-chief-qodari-on-londo-ireng-we-focus-on-substance-1785250513", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }