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Dharma Pongrekun unrepentant over unfounded claims
From a Dajjal-affiliated school system to a group of globalists controlling the population, the 58-year-old retired three-rank police general, has differentiated himself from rivals by peddling groundless claims about government policies that often leave rivals and viewers scratching their heads.
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Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Dharma Pongrekun (left) and his running mate Kun Wardana (right) poses during the first debate between candidates at JIExpo Kemayoran in Jakarta on Oct. 6, 2024. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
Jakarta's independent gubernatorial candidate Dharma Pongrekun has doubled down on his use of conspiracy theories in his election campaign, which has earned him the nickname “conspiracy general”.
From a Dajjal-affiliated school system to a group of globalists controlling the population, the 58-year-old retired three-rank police general, has differentiated himself from rivals by peddling groundless claims about government policies that often leave rivals and viewers scratching their heads.
On Sunday’s televised election debate with rivals Ridwan Kamil and Pramono Anung, Dharma sparked controversy by claiming that the COVID-19 pandemic was part of a "covert agenda by foreign nations" aimed at undermining Indonesia’s sovereignty.
“I’ve been trained to remain vigilant and to question everything, both literally and figuratively. We must treat every issue with skepticism, whether it’s genuine or part of foreign infiltration using health issues to erode our sovereignty,” Dharma said.
He went on to claim, without evidence, that “the pandemic was a covert agenda by foreign [countries] to seize our national sovereignty, and we became followers due to our nation’s fragility”.
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Sunday’s debate, however, was not the first time Dharma has pushed conspiracy theories and groundless claims rooted in fringe science that have raised eyebrows among listeners.
