Rahel Narda Chaterine, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has asked all parties to be objective in viewing demonstrations criticising government policies.
In an interview with several media chief editors, Prabowo said that the demonstrations that have occurred recently (under the banner of "Dark Indonesia") must be viewed objectively and honestly, and asked whether the demonstrations were genuine or held because someone paid them.
"You have to know, pay attention. Pay attention objectively and honestly. Are the demonstrations genuine or are there people who pay? You have to be objective", said Prabowo as quoted from the Kompas daily YouTube channel on Monday April 7.
Prabowo warned of the possibility of foreign groups or forces wanting to play people off against each other in Indonesia. Because, according to Prabowo, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Indonesia are funded by foreign parties.
"The Trump administration dissolved USAID. And there we found evidence that USAID funded many NGOs all over the place. In fact, all of this has come out. It's public knowledge. So I invite us to think clearly", he said.
Prabowo also emphasised that demonstrations are a normal thing that is guaranteed by the Constitution with the right to assemble, the right to associate and other rights.
The former Defence Minister also claimed that he would take action against officers who commit violence against demonstrators. However, he warned that any demonstrations that are held should not be intended to create unrest.
"But also, if demonstrations are held to cause chaos and unrest, in my opinion this is against the national interests and against the interests of the people", Prabowo said.
"No need to damage things. No need to damage fences. No need to damage, what is it? Base stations, base terminals. This is the people's money. You can demonstrate on campus, but don't damage faculties. This is the people's money", he said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Prabowo: Coba Perhatikan, Demo-demo Itu Murni atau Ada yang Bayar?".]
