Bandung Regent 'Passes the Test' by Focusing on Work Amid Slander Attacks
The choice of Bandung Regent Dadang Supriatna to keep working despite being attacked with various slanders sends a strong message about the sincere, patient and resilient regional leader that the people need.
This was conveyed by the Executive Director of Citra Komunikasi LSI Denny JA, Toto Izul Fatah, to the press in Jakarta on Friday (7/8/2026). He was responding to journalists’ questions about the intensifying politically charged attacks on the regent, who is familiarly known as KDS (Kang Dadang Supriatna).
“A leader is tested not when everything runs comfortably, but precisely when he faces pressure. This is a normal and natural process that the Bandung Regent is going through with resilience and patience,” he said.
Toto observed that amid the various accusations, criticisms and even slanders directed at him, KDS chose not to spend energy continuously serving the polemics. KDS instead chose to go into the field, resolve flooding problems and work on things whose benefits are directly felt by the community.
One of these, Toto explained, was the normalisation of the Cilisungan River in the Tegalluar area, Bojong Soang, Bandung. “This is the choice of a leader: the people’s interests above personal interests,” he stressed.
Toto argued that flooding cannot wait until the political noise subsides. “A river experiencing sedimentation will not become normal just because officials are busy rebutting accusations,” he said.
Therefore, Toto continued, KDS’s choice to keep working must be appreciated. Including regarding the PT Bandung Daya Sentosa (BDS) case, all parties should respect the ongoing legal process. And no one should force someone to become a suspect.
According to Toto, criminal liability is an individual responsibility that must be proven based on facts, authority, actions and evidence.
A case that is currently being processed by law should not be used to build political judgement against someone before there is clear legal proof.
“Most importantly, this matter must not bring the wheels of the Bandung Regency government to a halt. KDS appears to have chosen a simple principle: let the legal process run, while service to the people must continue,” he explained.
In Toto’s view, this attitude deserves to be an inspiration for other regional heads. Being a leader must not be easily shaken, must not be whiny in facing criticism, and must not lose concentration just because of accusations or attacks from various parties.
“Leaders must indeed be ready to be criticised. Even a regional head must be ready to face accusations from his own constituents. But criticism and accusations must be answered with two things: law and real work,” he asserted.
If there is a legal problem, Toto said, hand it over to the legal mechanism. If there is a people’s problem, resolve it with work. And the river normalisation in Tegalluar demonstrates that choice. Moreover, the flooding problem in the Tegalluar area is not a simple matter.
Toto hopes this consistency will be maintained. Do not let slander stop the work. Do not let the noise defeat the people’s interests.
The public, Toto stressed, will not only judge a leader by how cleverly he defends himself when attacked, but by how many of the people’s problems he has managed to solve.
KDS inspected the normalisation of the Cilisungan River in Tegalluar on 1 June 2026, with dredging of sedimentation, widening of the river, and plans for the Tegalluar 1 Retention Lake with an initial area of 1.5 hectares. The Regency Government is also carrying out normalisation of several other rivers as flood mitigation.