Al Jazeera Foreign Media Juluki Gibran 'Nepo Baby', TKN Opens Voice

JAKARTA - The Prabowo-Gibran National Campaign Team (TKN), opened its voice about the existence of foreign media that gave the nickname 'Nepo Baby' for vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Referring to the news in Al Jazeera, TKN assessed that the label 'Nepo Baby' was refuted by Gibran's performance in the vice presidential debate last week.

"This is interesting, instead I read the news of Al Jazeera, I don't know about other news. Al Jazeera said that Mas Gibran Rakabuming Raka's appearance, according to researchers from Singapore, could erase the accusation that he was a nepo baby," said a member of the TKN Expert Council Prabowo-Gibran, Budiman Sudjatmiko in Jakarta, Thursday, December 28.

"What does that mean, the opinion in Al Jazeera, it is refuted that he is a nepo baby, that he has the ability. So if he is interpreted as nepo baby, this is actually a definition that is contrary to 180 degrees," he continued.

For information, Nepo Baby is an English term. Quoted from The Independent, nepo stands for nepotism, defined by Collins' English Dictionary as an unfair use of power to get jobs or other benefits for family or friends'.

Thus, Nepo Baby can be interpreted as a term that refers to successful children in a career similar to and because of the connection of their parents.

Even so, the director of the TKN debater Prabowo-Gibran did not want to bother if Gibran was nicknamed 'Nepo Baby'. According to him, Gibran has often been labeled a negative term.

"There is no problem, Mas Gibran is also often dubbed various kinds of things, buying vegetables of all kinds. In my opinion, we just smile. I think this is part of an effort to downgrade our partners. In fact, people appreciate it," said Budiman.

This, he continued, was illustrated by the results of a survey that said Gibran won a debate fight against two of his seniors.

"So, Al Jazeera's opinion actually stated one accusation that Gibran was a nepo baby and the public's perception of the vice presidential debate put Mas Gibran as the winner," he explained.

"And that is also the perception of party voters who are members of the coalition supporting other presidential and presidential candidates," Budiman added.

Dikhahui, foreign media Al Jazeera wrote a news entitled "Indonesian Leader's Son Brushes Off 'Nepo Baby' Tag in Feted Debated Showing".

The middle eastern media said that Gibran was considered to have dismissed accusations of nepotism attached to him as the eldest son of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in a vice presidential debate, last Friday, December 22.

Al Jazeera wrote that Gibran was accused of being a 'nepo baby' or 'ningrat son' who continued dynastic politics.

However, the accusations were dismissed because the Mayor of Solo seemed to dominate the debate event with an understanding of economic issues and investment.