AHY Scolds Head of Ciliwung River Basin Authority During Speech, What Caused It?

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) recently went viral after sternly reprimanding the Head of the Ciliwung Cisadane River Basin Authority (BBWS), David Partonggo Oloan Marpaung. The sharp rebuke was delivered during instructions regarding the revitalisation and normalisation of the river. AHY became angry upon seeing David leave the location in the middle of his speech. The atmosphere suddenly turned tense because David was not present when called. AHY paused his speech momentarily and searched for David’s whereabouts among the attending officials. “Hey, head of the authority, come here first, where are you going? I’m speaking for you. Where did you go earlier?” said AHY on the banks of the Ciliwung River, as relayed by the Kemenko Infra YouTube channel on Wednesday (13/5/2026). That remark turned the previously relaxed atmosphere awkward. Several participants turned to look in the direction AHY indicated. The reprimand was issued again. AHY appeared to regret David’s attitude, which he deemed as not listening to instructions while he was speaking. The eldest son of Indonesia’s 6th President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono emphasised that he had called the head of the authority twice. “How can you listen to instructions if you’re not here? I called twice and you weren’t there. That’s not acceptable,” said AHY. In front of the officials and event participants, AHY then asked David to return to his seat and listen to his instructions. “Please sit down first. Sit down. Sit properly first. Sit, Sir,” he said. AHY’s tone conveyed disappointment because his calls received no response. He reiterated that he had called David twice. Previously, AHY had urged the acceleration of Ciliwung River normalisation to prevent flooding in Jakarta. He stated that the progress of river revitalisation and normalisation currently stands at 52 percent. The General Chairman of the Democrat Party also revealed that the Ciliwung River experiences sedimentation of about 20 to 50 centimetres each year, requiring continuous dredging. According to AHY, one of the biggest challenges in the normalisation process is the issue of land acquisition, which has not yet been fully resolved.