Habiburokhman Counters Dino Patti Djalal's Criticism: How Great Was His Era?

Jakarta, VIVA – Gerindra Party Deputy Chairman Habiburokhman has assessed that the communication and criticism levelled by former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal against President Prabowo Subianto are inappropriate, as such statements have the potential to incite public opinion.

“The communication model demonstrated by Mr Dino, in my view, is unsuitable. Do not provoke the public to engage in comparisons, as comparisons are difficult to manage,” Habiburokhman told reporters at the Senayan Parliamentary Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 2 June 2026.

Habiburokhman also issued a counter-criticism against Dino Patti Djalal. He argued that Djalal, as a former official, lacks the ethics required when delivering criticism towards the government or the Head of State.

“Just how great was Mr Dino’s era? Why is he acting as if he is the ultimate authority on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now, as if he is the most knowledgeable about foreign affairs in the entire world?” said Habiburokhman.

“Therefore, it is time for me to criticise him in return; this is a democratic nation. He claims it is a democracy and offers criticism, so I am offering criticism back to him. We must consider his understanding of ethics regarding the manner in which criticism is delivered,” he added.

Palace Response

Previously, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya emphasised that the government remains open to criticism, but requested that such critiques do not overshadow the various achievements resulting from President Prabowo Subianto’s overseas visits.

“We certainly welcome space for every input, but let us not obscure the facts regarding all the results we have achieved,” stated the Cabinet Secretary during an official broadcast from the Cabinet Secretariat in Jakarta on Monday.

This clarification was issued in response to several criticisms by the former Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister and founder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), Dino Patti Djalal, concerning President Prabowo’s foreign visits over the past 1.5 years.

The broadcast, which lasted over six minutes, contained at least eight points of response and clarification regarding the criticisms and statements made by Dino Patti Djalal on his personal social media regarding President Prabowo’s foreign travel agenda. Teddy addressed Djalal’s criticisms sequentially, beginning with the issue of the high costs associated with the President’s overseas travel, which Djalal had criticised as being “extremely large.”