TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hidayat Nur Wahid, the deputy speaker of People Consultative Assembly (MPR), supported the removal of the advertisement showing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in movie cinemas.

“I agree such an advertisement be lifted because it will attract antipathy instead of sympathy,” said Hidayat in the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday, September 13.

According to Hidayat, the government should have adverted its programs and performances through proper media such as banners or TV channel in TVRI. While the movie cinema was not a public place that related to the government.

“That is a private media to which the public pay. So, the government should not conduct dissemination through it,” he added.

Read also: Govt Explains the Jokowi Infrastructure Advert Shown in Theaters

Aside from that, Hidayat pointed out, the government’s programs and works must be disseminated since long ago; not now when the general election is around the corner. The reason, he explained, the advertisement in the theaters would be seen as a form of the campaign for the presidential election.

“That’s what internet citizen (netizen) sensed. Those non-politician people see the ads as a campaign, let alone the politicians,” he underlined.

Recently, the public service advertisement in theaters became social media’s highlight. The ad showed several dam projects in Indonesian regions followed by a quote from President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and a hashtag #MENUJUINDONESIAMAJU.

Gerindra politician Fadli Zon criticized the advertisement through his Twitter account. He suggested that the advertisement should be taken down.

Meanwhile, the Communications and Informatics Ministry acting-head spokesman Ferdinandus Setu asserted that the advertisement is not linked to Jokowi’s campaign attempts for the 2019 presidential election candidacy. “It’s not a campaign. The ministry runs a mandate of Law as the government’s public relations,” he said.

FRISKI RIANA