Prabowo Criticises "Know-It-All" Phenomenon on Social Media
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has highlighted the growing phenomenon of people who believe they know everything, particularly when responding to political and governmental issues that frequently become the subject of wild speculation on social media.
Speaking at the closing of the 2025 Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Congress in Surakarta, Central Java, on Sunday evening, the Head of State noted that this tendency is not unique to Indonesia but occurs in various other countries as well.
"There is now a phenomenon, not only in Indonesia — wherever I travel, they also tell me that there are now many people who consider themselves clever," he said.
According to the President, many people now elevate themselves as "the most intelligent", frequently commenting on all manner of issues without a strong basis for their arguments. He admitted to regularly monitoring social media and podcasts discussing him, and was often left astonished by people who appeared to understand President Prabowo's thinking better than he does himself.
"They know more than I do," the President remarked.
He cited examples of speculation that frequently emerges, such as allegations of a rift between himself and seventh President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), or public commentary on his praise for the elephant that has become PSI's new logo.
Whilst regarding such matters as part of democratic dynamics, the Head of State nevertheless warned of the dangers of information technology misuse, particularly in the spread of hoaxes, hate speech, and fake news. He stressed the importance of maintaining open communication within society.
"We must not be lazy about communicating, about speaking," he said.
He further affirmed that both he and President Jokowi prefer to keep working rather than busying themselves with speeches. "Sometimes, people like myself, people like Pak Jokowi — we actually want to work; we don't really want to keep making speeches," he said.
Speaking at the closing of the 2025 Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Congress in Surakarta, Central Java, on Sunday evening, the Head of State noted that this tendency is not unique to Indonesia but occurs in various other countries as well.
"There is now a phenomenon, not only in Indonesia — wherever I travel, they also tell me that there are now many people who consider themselves clever," he said.
According to the President, many people now elevate themselves as "the most intelligent", frequently commenting on all manner of issues without a strong basis for their arguments. He admitted to regularly monitoring social media and podcasts discussing him, and was often left astonished by people who appeared to understand President Prabowo's thinking better than he does himself.
"They know more than I do," the President remarked.
He cited examples of speculation that frequently emerges, such as allegations of a rift between himself and seventh President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), or public commentary on his praise for the elephant that has become PSI's new logo.
Whilst regarding such matters as part of democratic dynamics, the Head of State nevertheless warned of the dangers of information technology misuse, particularly in the spread of hoaxes, hate speech, and fake news. He stressed the importance of maintaining open communication within society.
"We must not be lazy about communicating, about speaking," he said.
He further affirmed that both he and President Jokowi prefer to keep working rather than busying themselves with speeches. "Sometimes, people like myself, people like Pak Jokowi — we actually want to work; we don't really want to keep making speeches," he said.