REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked village heads to participate in tackling false news about him. He stated that before thousands of village officials who were present at the National Coordination Meeting on Organizing the Village Government.
Jokowi said that hoaxes would only break the harmony of the community. He mentioned a number of false accusations against him, among others about Indonesia Communist Party (PKI) member, foreign stooge, and criminalized the ulema.
"I think that this issue must be clarified by the village heads. Don't leave it behind as the perpetrator later will make another issues. The village heads must straighten out the issues. Because based on our survey results, there are 9 million people who believe it. This can disrupt harmony," Jokowi said on Wednesday (Feb 20).
Jokowi asked village heads to be able to maintain harmony. He reminded that Indonesia was gathered by various different ethnic groups and religions.
Jokowi has delivered the same message for several times. Last week, during the opening of Tanwir Muhammadiyah in Bengkulu, the President also mentioned false news about PKI member and achievements of its government in infrastructure development.