Teddy: There is an Inflation of Commentators, Their Data Does Not Match Facts

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that Indonesia is currently experiencing a phenomenon he terms as “inflation of commentators”. Teddy highlighted the emergence of commentators who declare themselves as observers of issues ranging from food to military and foreign policy. However, according to Teddy, these commentators do not possess backgrounds suitable for the issues they discuss. Teddy claimed they even convey data that does not align with on-the-ground facts. “Right now, there is one phenomenon. What is it? There is something called inflation of commentators. So, there are many commentators. There are rice commentators, but their background is not in that area. There are military commentators, foreign affairs commentators. And these commentators’ data does not match the facts. Their data is erroneous,” said Teddy to the media at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Friday, 10 April 2026. Teddy stated that most of these commentators have been attempting to form public opinion even before Prabowo Subianto took office as president. “So these commentators have already influenced citizens,” he said. However, Teddy claimed that the facts show Prabowo successfully garnered more than 96 million votes in the 2024 presidential election. “But what are the facts? The facts are that more than 96 million citizens trust Mr Prabowo more. They do not trust them. Well, that is real evidence of public trust. Not some assumption,” said Teddy. According to Teddy, the government does not reject criticism. For him, anyone may offer criticism. However, he warned against statements that could cause public anxiety. He then claimed that the situation in Indonesia is “all stable, all under control”. Teddy affirmed that the government accepts input from the public. According to Teddy, the government is striving to perfect and maximise its performance. He reminded the public to hold positive hopes and prayers for Indonesia. “Do not let us become people who instead encourage others to have negative hopes and prayers for this nation we love,” he said.