TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD likened political buzzers to pests yet he acknowledged that their presence is inevitable in the democratic system.

“We see buzzers as pests of democracy. They are consequences of democracy,” said Mahfud in a discussion via Twitter Space with Didik Rachbini on Wednesday, September 29.

The minister said people could speak more freely nowadays. The current democracy is different from that in the New Order era where people likely disappeared if they spoke 'too loudly'. This freedom, he added, allows some people to organize themselves and become buzzers.

However, Mahfud admitted that it was difficult to distinguish which voices belong to the people or buzzers. He cited an example, people who supported President Joko Jokowi Widodo’s government or those who are too right-minded are often referred to as buzzers. While in fact, he opined, there are more voices protesting Jokowi’s policies than those supporting them.

“So it’s a bit difficult for me to define which voices come from buzzers,” said Mahfud MD, clarifying issues that the State Palace hired buzzers. He also claimed he never heard of buzzer management by the Palace.

“I never see it and don’t know who organized them (buzzers),” the minister concluded.

Read: Presidential Office Denies Ties to 'Buzzers'

EGI ADYATAMA