Dudung Responds to Rizieq Shihab's Remarks on the "Billboard General"
Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Dudung Abdurachman has responded to a statement by former Front Pembela Islam (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab regarding the nickname “Billboard General”. The nickname is believed to refer to Dudung, who removed FPI banners in Jakarta while serving as Commander of the Jakarta Military Regional Command (Kodam Jaya) in 2020.
According to Dudung, he currently has no issues with Rizieq. “In my view, there are no problems between me and Habib Rizieq,” Dudung said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, 5 May 2026.
He clarified that when he removed the FPI banners six years ago, the organisation was frozen by the government. He accused the narratives on the removed banners, such as the moral revolution, of tending to disrupt national unity and integrity.
Dudung also denied influencing President Prabowo to mention Yemen in one of his speeches. During a speech in Cilacap, Central Java on 29 April 2026, Prabowo suggested that those wanting to flee Indonesia should go to Yemen.
Rizieq accused Prabowo of mentioning Yemen due to the influence of the “Billboard General”, whom he claimed disliked Middle Eastern countries. Dudung denied influencing the President’s speech. “That was not from me,” he stated.
He invited everyone, including Rizieq, to maintain calm amid the global crisis. “In my opinion, Mr Rizieq is already old, we are both old. Let us build this nation with composure, without provocation,” Dudung said.
This former Army Chief of Staff stated that someone regarded as a cleric should always soothe. Preachers like Rizieq, according to Dudung, should think clearly and not speak ill of others or harbour bad suspicions.
Previously, the Antara News Agency reported that Rizieq commented on President Prabowo Subianto’s speech about Indonesian citizens (WNI) calling Indonesia dark and suggesting they flee to Yemen. In a video on the Islamic Brotherhood Television YouTube channel, Rizieq stated that the President’s remarks were influenced by someone he called the “Billboard General”.