Amien Rais Explains Relationship Between Prabowo and Teddy

Chairman of the Majelis Syuro of Partai Ummat, Amien Rais, has spoken out regarding his viral video in which he mentioned a special relationship between President Prabowo Subianto and Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya.

The video, which has since disappeared from Amien Rais’s personal YouTube account, previously drew protests and condemnation from the Minister of Communications and Digital, Meutya Hafid, for containing slanderous narratives.

During the National Deliberation of Partai Ummat in Yogyakarta on Saturday night, 2 May 2026, the former Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly stated that his remarks in the video should be viewed as a form of citizens’ freedom of expression.

“I am confident that democracy functions well if the freedom to express opinions, guaranteed by our Basic Law, is not restricted or silenced,” said Amien.

Amien believes that as a democratic nation, Indonesia should guarantee freedom of speech. Even if those opinions contradict the authorities or other groups of the people.

Regarding his accusations about the relationship between Prabowo and Teddy, which he described as exceeding professional boundaries, Amien admitted he had his own reasons.

“As for Teddy, I gathered this from various pieces of information, from YouTube and various social media channels; I think it’s almost convincing that there is something very unusual about Mr Teddy,” he said.

That unusual aspect regarding Teddy, according to Amien, stems from the fact that he has been given an excessive portion of power at present by Prabowo.

“I see Teddy just sticking (clinging) to Mr Prabowo all the time, to the point that who the guests are, which ministers, which generals can meet Mr Prabowo—it’s Teddy who decides,” he stated.

For this reason, said Amien, to avoid it becoming a bad stigma in society, Prabowo should give Teddy a different task or position. So that he does not always stick to Prabowo and interfere with his governance.

“Teddy is actually just the Cabinet Secretary, but he acts as if he has the most authority, feeling more important than the cabinet secretary,” he said. “He can select and choose guests, which ones can be received and which cannot.”

Amien also admitted that a coordinating minister had told him about the difficulties in meeting Prabowo because it was arranged by Teddy.

“The Coordinating Minister said, ‘Brother Amin, sometimes I want to meet the president but I can’t because Teddy says there’s no time or it’s not yet time,’ like that,” said Amien, imitating.

In fact, the Coordinating Minister knew Prabowo was at the palace and only needed about 5-10 minutes to meet and report on his duties.

“Things like this become a blunder for Mr Prabowo’s leadership,” explained Amien, who admitted he has not met Prabowo again since his inauguration as president.

Amien also suggested that Teddy does not need to be punished, vilified, or discarded. “Just give him (Teddy) another job, replace him with someone who is not a burden, that’s all,” he said.

Regarding threats from the Ministry of Communications and Digital to legally process those who spread his video, Amien Rais responded nonchalantly. “I was told by legal experts that Komdigi has no authority (to process legally),” he said.

According to Amien, the one entitled to prosecute his video is none other than Cabinet Secretary Teddy himself. If he intends to take it to court.

“If it goes to court, I am very confident; I will ask for statements from several specialist doctors, whether he is really gay or not,” he said.

Meanwhile, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid previously stated that the video of the statement by Partai Ummat’s Majelis Syuro Chairman Amien Rais, which dragged in the names of President Prabowo Subianto and Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya, contains slanderous narratives and hate speech.

“The narrative built is an attempt to demean the dignity of the country’s highest leader, lacks factual basis, and is part of an effort to provoke public unrest,” said Meutya Hafid in a written statement on Friday, 1 May 2026.

For Meutya, this has the potential to divide the nation. She emphasised that digital democratic space is a space for debating ideas, not for producing hate content that attacks anyone’s dignity.