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Jokowi denies Prabowo resorted to violence in cabinet meeting
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has denied allegations widely discussed on social media that a violent incident took place during a policy dispute in a cabinet meeting.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo speaks during a cabinet meeting in Jakarta, Jan. 30, 2023. (Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau/Muchlis Jr)
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has denied allegations widely discussed on social media that a cabinet minister resorted to violence during a policy dispute in a cabinet meeting.
Unconfirmed rumors have been circulating on social media in recent days that Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto resorted to strangling and slapping Deputy Agriculture Minister Harvick Hasnul Qolbi before the limited cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace started.
Responding to questions from reporters on Tuesday during a trip to a traditional market in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, Jokowi said with a chuckle that, "As far as I know, there has been no incident like that. How come [there was] strangling?”
The President went on to say that the public should always verify information from social media before drawing their own conclusions, particularly ahead of the general election next year.
“In political years, there is indeed a lot of this kind of [mis]information,” he said. “So please cross-check [the information]. Don't take all news at face value.”
The rumors began making the rounds on social media after a video clip, titled “Did a presidential candidate slapping a deputy minister in the meeting room?” was published last Sunday by the Seword opinion blog on its YouTube channel and went viral.
In the almost 12-minute-long video, Seword director Alifurrahman Asyari claimed, without naming any names, that he had heard about a minister strangling and slapping a deputy minister prior to a cabinet meeting. Alifurrahman said he received the information 10 days ago from a source who attended the meeting and witnessed the alleged incident.
