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I’m always open to criticism, says Ridwan Kamil after latest social media controversy
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Ridwan Kamil. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
W
est Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has again been involved in controversy after a high school teacher criticized him on social media. When reports began to surface that the contract teacher lost his job due to his criticism, the social media-savvy politician assured his followers that he was always open to criticism.
“I was surprised that the teacher lost his job for his criticism, and I would like to clarify my position," Ridwan, the newcomer to the Golkar Party, said in a video statement on Wednesday. “First, a leader is always open to criticism, even if that criticism borders on rudeness. I’ve received criticism thousands of times, and I’ve always tried to respond cordially.”
Ridwan has since reached out to the Miftahul Ulum Foundation that manages the Telkom Sekar Kemuning vocational high school in Cirebon to refrain from going to the extreme in disciplining Sabil Fadhillah, the teacher in question.
Sabil first took issue over Ridwan’s appearance in a virtual meeting with junior high school students in Tasikmalaya on Tuesday. Despite appearing in his official capacity as West Java governor in the meeting, as seen on a video Ridwan posted on Instagram, Ridwan was clad in a yellow jacket, the traditional color of Golkar. And Sabil, in a comment in the Sundanese language on the Instagram post, questioned if Ridwan was there as governor, a party member or simply in an individual capacity.
While Ridwan has maintained his independent status since entering politics in 2013 as the mayor of Bandung, he finally joined a political party for the first time in January, with Golkar being his party of choice.
“As a West Java person, I criticized [Ridwan] as he was meeting with the students in an academic setting, but wearing yellow attire [in the color of his party]," Sabil told kompas.com.
Read also: Ridwan Kamil joins Golkar, bolstering political standing
