Ministry Of Defense Affirms No Military Emergency Proposal Due To Riot Demo

The Ministry of Defense (Kemenhan) confirmed that there was no military emergency proposal from the Minister of Defense (Menhan) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin following a wave of demonstrations related to the rejection of allowances for DPR members in various regions at the end of last August.

The statement was conveyed by the Head of the Defense Information Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defense Brigadier General Frega Ferdinand Wenas Inkiriwang in response to Tempo's report, which was reported on Monday.

"As a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, I convey that this news is not true at all and of course we regret the inaccurate media information," Frega said in Jakarta, confiscated by Antara.

Frega explained that the submission of draft military emergency proposals must go through an official process and cannot be submitted by individuals. He said the legal bureau, legislation, and administration at the Ministry of Defense did not discuss this.

"There is absolutely no discussion and submission. So, I can emphasize that what was conveyed by the media is not true," he said.

The Ministry of Defense regrets the news. Mass media should comply with journalism ethics, especially regarding the balance of resource persons.

The narrative that the Minister of Defense had proposed determining the status of a military emergency was considered to have the potential to create provocations and confusion in society. The Ministry of Defense is worried that the narrative will cause misperceptions.

"On social media, news has circulated using what the media has published, causing misperceptions that can have an impact on misinformation and disinformation," he said.

The Ministry of Defense, he added, is exploring to convey the right to responsibility to the mass media concerned. On the other hand, the Ministry of Defense is considering reporting the news to the Press Council.

"We also urge media friends to maybe be wiser and more careful, lest later there is information that is not accurate and incommensurate, it is conveyed that spontaneity actually provokes the community," he said.