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Officials slammed for ‘tone-deaf’ remarks amid COVID-19 crisis
As healthcare workers and hospitals struggle to treat record numbers of COVID-19 patients in many parts of the country, several high-ranking government officials have made statements that have elicited public criticism.
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Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD talks to reporters on the sidelines of an event held by law firm Dentons HPRP in Jakarta on Jan. 22, 2020. (JP/Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman)
M
ore than a year after the pandemic hit Indonesia and following the deadliest month of the outbreak, government officials are still struggling to send the right messages about the ongoing health crisis, a problem that observers say is rooted in the incoherence of the government’s policies.
As healthcare workers and hospitals struggle to treat record numbers of COVID-19 patients in many parts of the country, several high-ranking government officials have made public statements that critics say are tone-deaf.
Among them was Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, who wrote on his official Twitter handle @mohmahfudmd that the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) had allowed him to spend some time watching a popular soap opera.
“PPKM has given me a chance to watch the soap opera Ikatan Cinta [Love Ties]. It’s fun, although [the story] is quite confusing,” the minister wrote on Thursday evening, referring to a popular show broadcast nightly on a private television station.
He went on to criticize the showrunner for having an incorrect understanding of the law as depicted by the show.
PPKM memberi kesempatan kpd sy nonton serial sinetron Ikatan Cinta. Asyik jg sih, meski agak muter-muter. Tp pemahaman hukum penulis cerita kurang pas. Sarah yg mengaku dan minta dihukum krn membunuh Roy langsung ditahan. Padahal pengakuan dlm hukum pidana itu bkn bukti yg kuat.
— Mahfud MD (@mohmahfudmd) July 15, 2021
Some Indonesian netizens pounced on the minister for the tweet. Twitter user @hoeneybunch tweeted, "[He] clearly can't read the room."
