Jokowi: `Indonesia Extinct` is Scare Tactic, Spew of Lie

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo spoke-up about his statements directed at Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno over the last few days. The president said he could not just stay quiet over the derogatory and negative remarks his presidential rivals have spewed.

"I cannot just keep quiet, can I? They cannot expect me to be patient all the time," JOkowi told reporters in Jakarta, Sunday, February 3.

However, Jokowi said that his statements are not "attacks" against his rivals. He said he was only telling facts.  

During a work visit to Central and East Java, Widodo addressed some of the controversial remarks uttered by Prabowo. One of them is what the man said during the Gerindra National Conference at Sentul, West Java, on December 17. 

At the time, Prabowo quoted a novel that said Indonesia could become extinct. "Therefore we cannot lose. We cannot lose. If we lose, this country can become extinct," he said. 

To the people saying that Indonesia will disband and reach extinction, Jokowi said to do it alone. "Disband on your own. Vanish on your own. Don't take Indonesia with you," he said during a meet and greet with Central Java entrepreneurs in Semarang on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Jokowi also asked to stop using hoaxes, lies, false news and Russian propaganda in politics. The Russian propaganda he meant is the "fire hose of falsehood" technique that US-based political consultancy agency Rand Corporation ran in 2016.

"Political methods like these must be stopped. Spewing lies, defaming, spreading hoaxes, and Russian propaganda theories—these must stop. Don’t do this and then apologize when proven wrong, and then lie again the next day, and apologize again. Jokowi said at Jawa Pos Editorial Office in Jakarta, Saturday.

VINDRY FLORENTIN