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View all search resultsGovt quick to defend cabinet secretary from Amien Rais’ rebuke
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Politician Amien Rais (center) declares the founding of the Ummah Party along with the party’s leadership board on April 29, 2021, in Yogyakarta. (JP/Courtesy of Ummah Party)
T
he government has rushed to the defense of Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya from politician Amien Rais’ rebuke claiming Teddy is not fit for the job due to his alleged homosexuality, which he deemed a moral threat to the nation and President Prabowo Subianto.
In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel on Thursday, Amien alleged that the cabinet secretary had become "personally closer" with the President beyond their work relationships.
“Teddy is gay, like the people of Lot in biblical times,” said Amien, who founded the conservative Muslim party Ummat in 2021. He urged Prabowo to “cut himself loose from Teddy’s dangerous grip” and replace him with a “normal figure” focused on serving the nation.
The video quickly made the rounds on social media the next day. However, it was soon taken down with a note saying it was “not available on the country's domain due to a legal complaint from the government”.
Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid shortly responded on Friday, describing that the video contained “hoaxes, slander and hate speech” aimed at the “character assassination” of the President.
“The video’s narrative is an attempt to demean the state leader, has no factual basis and is part of a provocative effort to create public unrest,” Meutya said in a statement, adding that it would take further steps under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law regarding slander and defamation.
The Government Communications Agency (GCA) head Muhammad Qodari also echoed a similar sentiment and expressed his “concern” over what he called Amien’s susceptibility to misinformation.
