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View all search resultsPollster SMRC founder under fire for 'treason' remark
At a post-Ramadan gathering event in late March, Saiful Mujani said advising the administration of President Prabowo Subianto would likely be ineffective, suggesting ‘bringing him down’ as the only way to ‘save the nation’.
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A document that reads "Freedom of Speech" is seen on a desk under a gavel in this undated illustration. (Shutterstock/kamitana)
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founder of a prominent pollster is in hot water after suggesting that Indonesia could be “saved” by removing President Prabowo Subianto, facing accusations of treason by pro-government figures.
Saiful Mujani, founder of pollster Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), made the remarks during a post-Ramadan gathering titled “Sebelum Pengamat Ditertibkan” (before observers are put in order) held in East Jakarta on March 31. Among those attending the event were several government-critical observers, including constitutional law expert Feri Amsari and political analyst Ubedillah Badrun.
In his closing remarks at the event, Saiful argued that the current president no longer demonstrates the conduct expected from a head of state, citing what he described as inappropriate statements and threats. He referred to Prabowo’s controversial claim in March of wanting to put “unpatriotic” observers in order.
Saiful also said efforts to advise the government would likely be ineffective, as they will likely not be heard.
“If advising Prabowo doesn’t work, then the only way [to save the nation] is to bring him down,” said Saiful, who is also a political science professor at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta at the event, whose recording was posted on YouTube.
“The question is: Can we consolidate ourselves to bring down Prabowo?” he went on to say, noting that such a move would be unlikely to be achieved through formal constitutional mechanisms such as impeachment, given the supermajority support Prabowo has in the legislature.
