Communications Minister Says Disinformation Is Key Challenge Following Indonesia's Board of Peace Participation, References ITE Law
Minister of Communications and Digital (Menkomdigi) Meutya Hafid has said that disinformation poses a significant challenge in explaining Indonesia’s participation in the Board of Peace (BoP) forum. Meutya stated that the spread of misleading information has the potential to create public misperceptions and weaken Indonesia’s position in international forums.
“Disinformation, yes, that’s the challenge. There are certain parties — I don’t know whether they don’t want peace for Palestine, or whether they want to profit from this — and I think it’s malicious, profiting from the polemic surrounding the suffering of the Palestinian people,” Meutya said during detikcom’s Blak-blakan programme on Monday (23/2/2026).
Meutya said her ministry could distinguish between constructive criticism and narratives that amount to disinformation. She noted that in the lead-up to the BoP, there was a surge in the spread of misleading information.
“On the very first day, just before the BoP, we saw a surge of disinformation being spread out in geothermal cases, as if we were allowing Israeli companies to operate,” she said.
“So we thought, why is this happening? It’s frustrating. But we believe this isn’t purely coming from the general public. There are those who are taking advantage of these opportunities,” she added.
Nevertheless, Meutya said the various accusations were gradually addressed following the BoP’s inaugural meeting. She noted that Indonesia received appreciation at the forum, including remarks from United States President Donald Trump.
“It was not only visible but literally stated by President Trump that ‘oh, Indonesia is a great country, this President is strong’, and he conveyed that there was already a commitment to send troops in very large numbers. I think that has answered all the disinformation,” she said.
Despite this, Meutya stressed that the government would take action if legal violations were found, including breaches of the ITE Law (Electronic Information and Transactions Law).
“If there are indeed violations of the ITE Law, we certainly must pay attention. So, for instance, several cases we consider to be in violation would naturally require access to be blocked,” she explained.
However, the Golkar politician emphasised that the government’s primary approach remains strengthening its narrative and providing open explanations to the public. The government, Meutya said, is also partnering with media outlets and civil society organisations to help convey information in its entirety.
“The Palestine issue is a shared concern — this isn’t just government policy, this is what we all want. So please help us, and I also urge everyone to help the government explain these narratives to a wider audience,” she said.