Jokowi Tired of PKI Rumor; Says He will `Hit` the Poster
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Kamis, 1 Januari 1970 07:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Banten - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said he is upset because there are people who keep posting rumors on social media, accusing him of being a member of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). He said he will `hit` the people who spread the rumor if they are ever found.
"If I ever found them, I will really hit them,” he said when giving out land certificates ant the West Square of Serang City, Banten, March. 14.
Jokowi said the accusation that he is a PKI is ridiculous and illogical, since the party had disbanded in 1965, and he was born in 1961. “How is it possible that a 3-year-old becomes a PKI member? Sometimes I’m really furious about this matter, but we haven't found the rumor-spreader yet,” he said.
Read: Being Linked to PKI, Jokowi: I Could Not Hold My Anger
The president added that regardless of how illogical the rumor is, there are those who actually believe it.
These accusations keep surfacing ahead of the election. Jokowi asked the public not to get worked up by these rumors so that there is no clash between citizens.
This is not Jokowi’s first time revealing his irritation towards the PKI rumor. In Bogor last week, he mentioned the same thing when handing out land certificates in Sentul.
Widodo has been attacked by allegations of his links with the Communist party for quite some time. A man named Bambang Tri Mulyono even wrote a book called ‘Jokowi Undercover’ where he said that the former Jakarta Governor is the son of PKI members.
Bambang was arrested by the police and given a 3-year sentence by the Blora District Court.
Ahmad Faiz Ibnu Sani