en.malanginspirasi.com – President Prabowo Subianto ignited a fresh controversy on Thursday, July 23rd evening, comparing critical journalists, political observers, pundits, and NGO activists to “londo ireng” (black Dutch).
It is a term referring to Indonesians who collaborated with Dutch colonial forces against their own people during the independence struggle.
Speaking at the National Awakening Party (PKB)’s 28th anniversary celebration at the Jakarta Convention Center, President Prabowo questioned the motives and funding of these groups amid what he sees as persistent negative media coverage.
He contrasted this with concrete government achievements, such as the repair of 27,000 schools nationwide.
“These londo ireng still exist today, only now they wear different clothes: journalists, pundits, observers, NGOs,” Prabowo stated.
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The remarks drew enthusiastic support from his supporters, who hailed his candidness in addressing what they call “foreign-influenced negativity.”
However, the statement faced immediate backlash from media and civil society groups.
While affirming that his administration remains open to democratic critique, Prabowo suggested that some domestic critics serve foreign interests rather than the nation’s.
“We are a democracy. We are not anti-criticism,” Prabowo stated.
“But we are not children. We know there are Indonesians who enjoy serving and devoting themselves to other nations. That is what we used to call ‘londo ireng’—those who joined the Dutch in fighting against us. These ‘londo ireng’ still exist today under different guises: journalists, reporters, observers, and NGOs,” he mentioned.
He went on to directly challenge the motives and financial independence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
“Who pays your salary? Who pays your electricity bill? Who pays for your mobile phone?” he questioned, alleging that coordinated efforts were aiming to undermine public confidence in the nation’s trajectory.
Contrasting Narrative on Media and Progress
To illustrate what he described as selective media coverage, President Prabowo pointed to the government’s push in education infrastructure.
He noted that while his administration has successfully renovated over 27,000 schools across Indonesia, media outlets frequently concentrate on the remaining damaged facilities to paint a bleak picture.
Prabowo also dismissed persistent claims by economic commentators that Indonesia was on the verge of collapse.
“They predicted April would collapse—April passed, no collapse. May would collapse—May passed. June, July… every month it’s supposed to collapse,” he quipped.
His comments drew enthusiastic applause from political allies in attendance, who viewed the speech as a defense of national sovereignty against external influence.
