From Freedom of Speech to Treason

TREASON, that intimidating phrase from criminal law, suddenly resonates amid the transformation of intrinsic constitutional values, which is being vigorously driven by President Prabowo. This fearsome phrase emerged as an uncoordinated response to a snippet from Professor Saiful Mujani’s remarks at a halal bihalal event. The event, for substantive reasons rooted in heartfelt connections that did not fully blossom during Eid al-Fitr, was sweet and beautiful across all its spectrums. Perhaps its beauty was so captivating, even intoxicating, that the central aspect of the event shifted unnoticed. Interestingly, as of this writing, that statement stands as both beginning and end, halting there as merely an intellectual’s utterance. Speaking is necessary. Free speech is natural, as natural as maintaining the boundaries of speech itself. Without speech, people would fall into the pit of the Stone Age. But speaking too often, especially on every matter, for whatever reason, can wound the realm of humanity. The realm of humanity, in its substantial aspects, is always beautiful, so much so that even the ancient Greeks revered it. Free speech is not wild speech, as wild as one might prefer. Measured free speech is what civilisation demands of every individual. People must speak, for that is the way to express their human existence. Without free, non-wild speech, human existence vanishes. A person unable to speak freely due to artificial, negative restrictions from the state is equivalent to losing their natural existence as a free human being. A free human is one with dignity and honour. Relying fully on the tenet of freedom of opinion, expressing thoughts and will as a constitutional right, then calling for—or at least stating—the overthrow of the President, is intriguing. Even more intriguing if the statement is uttered amid a lively atmosphere filled with opponents, at least critics of various executive actions by President Prabowo. Truly intriguing, as the statement lands right in the midst of President Prabowo exerting his best energies to narrow the wide disparity between rich and poor. The President is dismantling the discriminatory economic order typical of neoliberal and capitalistic systems, which pleases the rich on one side while tormenting those already suffering. Several National Strategic Projects have been firmly addressed from the outset by the President. Likewise, hundreds, even thousands of hectares of farmland illegally controlled, which propelled their owners to the top of the economic structure, are being systematically targeted. Those controlling illegal mining lands, once identified, are seized. These powerful figures cannot help but suffer from President Prabowo’s policies. These policies must be acknowledged as coherent, both extrinsically and intrinsically, with constitutional values. If some do not partake in this fare, believe me, there are still too many children who do. In fact, it is said that leftovers are taken home to feed siblings. Truly excellent from a constitutional perspective and noble in its humanitarian dimension. Indeed, it aligns with the dreams of this nation’s founders. No matter how small one’s involvement as a worker in these activities, the programme has still helped some small people escape long-standing structural hardships. At this point, it must be acknowledged that the National Nutrition Agency’s purchase of electric motorcycles, with the characteristic rationality of Dadan, the Chairman of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), is weak in all aspects. The quantity and price of the motorcycles, reaching Rp 42,000,000 per unit (Kompas.com, 8/4/2026), clearly wounds the essence of the MBG policy. There is no need to offer excessive praise for the President’s systematic efforts to hunt down big-class corruption, given the numbers and individuals involved, but to belittle it is clearly not rational enough.