REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Deputy chairman of the national team to win Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno (BPN), Ahmad Muzani, believed presidential candidate number 02 was sincere in conveying his apology to the Boyolali community. Although it was posted via personal Instagram account of BPN spokesman, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, @dahnil_anzar_simanjuntak, it did not lessen Prabowo's sincerity.
"I believe Prabowo is very sincere in conveying his apology," Muzani said in Parliament complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday (Nov 7).
Muzani explained Prabowo's statement about Boyolali face was actually a joke. He asserted the context of Prabowo's speech was to defend the people from alienation and inequality.
"That there is alienation between the progress of hotels and high-rise buildings with poverty levels. Pak Prabowo wants to describe estrangement something like that," Muzani said.
Prabowo has offered an apology for joking about Boyolali face. As posted in Dahnil's Instagram, Prabowo said he did not mean to offend people with his joke.
"I did not mean it, if (anyone) was offended, I apologize," he said.
Previously, Prabowo thought public exaggerated their reaction to his joke as he did not intended to insult anyone. He claimed it was a matter of style of speaking.
"It is my style of speaking, I try to be familiar, I use the term as a friend," he explained.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Police still investigates criminal elements in a report against Prabowo related to his statement about the face of Boyolali people. The report was received last week by the police from a Boyolali resident who felt offended by the statement.
“The report that we received will be evaluated first by investigator,” said Jakarta Police spokesman Argo Yuwono on Wednesday (Nov 7).
According to Argo, Jakarta Police received only one report. The investigators have not find the criminal element in the report yet.
“We will check whether this has criminal or not. If it’s not, we will stop the investigation,” Argo explained.
Prabowo made the controversial statement when attending the inauguration event of National Winning Agency (BPN) or his success team office in Boyolali, Central Java on last Oct 30. His statement went viral on Youtube and made several people angry.
“If you try to enter (these hotels), you will probably be kicked out. Your faces are not that of rich people, your faces are just that of Boyolali people, right?” said Prabowo.
The audience laughed on it, but the joke failed to amuse netizens on social medias, especially those claiming to be a proud Boyolali people.
Accompanied by Muannas Aladid as his lawyer, one of Boyolali people namely Dakun reported Prabowo to Jakata Police. Dakun said he was offended by Prabowo’s words.
“Mr Dakun is a Boyolali resident who choose to report Prabowo related to the words,” Muannas said.
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