Human Rights Minister Regrets Hoax Account Urging 'IDR 1 Million/Month Shopping' at Village Co-ops

Minister of Human Rights (HAM) Natalius Pigai has expressed his concern over the rampant spread of false information (hoaxes) on social media, which he claims is also being disseminated by a number of intellectual figures, including Indra J Piliang and Imam Shamsi Ali. In a statement to journalists in Jakarta, Pigai denied the narrative circulating on Imam Shamsi Ali’s X social media account, which claimed he was urging the public to shop at the Merah Putih Cooperative (KMP) for one million rupiah each month to increase turnover and raise the cooperative manager’s salary. According to him, he never made such a statement. He also denied another narrative circulating on Indra J Piliang’s X account regarding the development plan for the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative (KDMP), which was said to involve various stakeholders, such as indigenous community networks, traditional healers, activists, journalists, and high-ranking ministry/institutional officials. Pigai stressed that he never made the statements as narrated in the posts. “I emphasise that my official comments are only on my own X social media account,” Pigai asserted in a written statement on Sunday (19/7/2026). Pigai also urged the public to be more careful in receiving information circulating on social media. He asked the public to prioritise information from credible mass media that have applied journalistic principles, such as Tempo, Kompas, Antara, detikcom, Tirto, Kumparan, Tribun, and other trusted media. “Do not trust unclear sources anymore!,” Pigai warned. On the occasion, Pigai also gave his assessment of the two figures. According to him, the spread of information he deemed untrue has lowered the credibility of those who spread it. Pigai stressed the importance of responsibility for every intellectual figure in conveying information to the public so as not to cause misunderstandings or disinformation.