Medan Sub-District Head Denies Saying 'Bah', Claims 'It Was Probably the Wind'

The head of Paya Pasir sub-district, Syerly, has spoken out about a viral video that appeared to show her mocking a resident who was complaining about public street lighting (LPJU) to the Mayor of Medan, Rico Waas. She claims she did not say the word ‘bah’ when she made the remark ‘cie curhat’.

‘It happened on 22 July around 5 p.m. The mayor was coming to inspect the road construction. As the sub-district head, we welcomed his visit and accompanied him to the work site. After the mayor had checked everything, as I was escorting him back, a resident named Ulfa approached. Her intention was to request light bulbs or a lamp post for lighting on Jalan Takenaka,’ Syerly said when met at her office in Paya Pasir sub-district, as reported by detikSumut on Thursday (30/7/2026).

According to Syerly, the section of Jalan Takenaka under inspection is an access route commonly used by the public to go to school and work. She also admitted that street lighting around this access point is indeed minimal. ‘Jalan Takenaka is a very quiet road and the residential population there is not as dense as in other neighbourhoods, let’s say a neighbourhood bustling with people,’ she explained.

She clarified that the resident who complained to the Mayor in the viral video lives on Jalan Takenaka. According to her, there are only two houses at that location, while the rest of the area consists of warehouses and fishponds. ‘We had already reported the request for light bulbs to the Transportation Agency a year ago. So Ulfa was directly confiding in Mr Rico, asking for light bulbs, which she had previously funded herself. That’s what you see in the video,’ she said.

Syerly stated that the request from the resident named Ulfa was reasonable given how quiet Jalan Takenaka is. She maintained that her response in the viral video was purely spontaneous. ‘Because there are only two houses and the road is quiet, it’s only natural she asked for lighting. But we at the sub-district office have already submitted a request to the Transportation Agency. So, when the person filming said, “Mr Mayor, may I? I would like to request help with light bulbs, because so far I have been using my own money,” I spontaneously said, “Cie, curhat nih ye.” There was no meaning behind my words. Because it’s true, this resident Ulfa was confiding,’ she explained.

However, Syerly denied uttering the word ‘bah’ as heard in the circulating viral video. She suggested the sound was caused by the coastal wind. ‘There was no “bah”, it was probably carried by the wind. Because behind us is the sea. I only said, “Cie, curhat nih ye.” You can see my expression in the video. If my expression was angry, it would be, “Hih, curhat ye,” right? But I was smiling, “Cie, curhat nih ye,” because it was truly spontaneous,’ she stated.

The former head of Terjun sub-district in Medan Marelan district said her remark in the video was made purely because she feels close to the residents. ‘I said that because we know her. The point is that this resident was indeed confiding in the mayor. Sometimes there are residents who want to speak up but are reluctant or afraid. So I said, “Cie, curhat nih ye,” and it was completely spontaneous. A reflex. No pretence,’ she said.