When AHY Reprimands the Head of the Agency: Where Are You Going? I'm Speaking to You

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) has come under public scrutiny following a video of him reprimanding the Head of the Ciliwung Cisadane River Basin Major Agency (BBWS), David Partonggo Oloan Marpaung, which went viral on social media. The incident occurred while AHY was delivering instructions regarding the revitalisation and normalisation of the riverbanks along the Ciliwung River. Midway through his address, AHY noticed David leaving the location, causing the atmosphere to suddenly become tense. AHY paused his speech briefly and looked for the BBWS head among the attending officials. “Hey, head of the agency, come here first—where are you going? I’m speaking to you. Where were you just now?” AHY said along the Ciliwung Riverbank, as broadcast on the Kemenko Infra YouTube channel on Wednesday (13/5/2026). “No, no, no, no. Listen to me first here,” he added. The eldest son of Indonesia’s 6th President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appeared disappointed because David was deemed not present when he was delivering important instructions. AHY even emphasised that he had called the agency head twice. “How can you listen to instructions if you’re not there? I called you twice and you weren’t there. It can’t be like that,” AHY said. In front of the officials and event participants, AHY then asked David to return to his seat and pay attention to his instructions. “Please sit down first. Sit down. Sit properly first. Sit, Sir,” he said. AHY’s tone indicated disappointment because his calls received no response. He reminded again that he had called David twice. “The problem is I called you twice and you weren’t there. No need to go there yet—we’ll do that later. Sit down first, Sir. Please,” he said. Previously, AHY had urged the acceleration of Ciliwung River normalisation as an effort to reduce flood risks in Jakarta. He stated that the progress of river revitalisation and normalisation currently stands at 52 percent. The General Chairman of the Democrat Party also revealed that the Ciliwung River experiences silting of around 20 to 50 centimetres every year, necessitating continuous dredging. Additionally, AHY assessed that land acquisition remains the main challenge in the river normalisation process because the land procurement has not yet been fully completed.