KSP denies intimidation, ensures government is open to criticism

JAKARTA - The Presidential Chief of Staff, General TNI (Ret.) Dudung Abdurachman, dismissed the issue that said there was intimidation and pressure by the government and law enforcement against the community or civil society organizations that were critical of the government.

Dudung, when answering a reporter's question regarding the results of a survey by one of the survey institutions at the Bina Graha courtyard, the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday, emphasized that the government is open to criticism and critical inputs provided by the public.

"The President (Prabowo Subianto, ed.) wants to ask for input at any time. He said: We must dare to speak, we must dare to argue, but we must dare to listen to the opinions of others," said Dudung conveying President Prabowo's attitude towards criticism of journalists in Jakarta, Wednesday as reported by Antara.

Dudung invited the public not to create the impression that there was intimidation coming from the government because there was no such treatment.

"Don't then seem to be intimidation. If there is intimidation, it also means claiming that this government does not want to be corrected. Don't make it up like that," he said.

"Don't then twist it as if (the President, ed.) didn't want to accept input," continued Dudung.

He also invited all groups of people to prioritize conscience and together build the nation, and to take care of each other so that they are not easily divided by issues that are not true.

On the same occasion, Dudungjugamengingatkan kembali pesan dari mendiang Presiden Ke-4 Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur).

"Gus Dur once said that whatever you do, no matter how good you do it, there will always be someone who hates you," said Dudung.

On various occasions, President Prabowo has often revealed that he is not anti-critical and is not hesitant to correct himself when receiving input from various parties.

President Prabowo, when giving a speech at the Christmas Celebration Summit at the beginning of 2026, stated that criticism and corrections were a manifestation of his being helped by the parties who provided the criticism and corrections.

"If you criticize, we even have to be grateful. If I am corrected, I consider that I am helped, I am secured. Sometimes we don't like to be criticized, we don't like to be corrected, but in fact it is secure," said President Prabowo.

President Prabowo then gave a simple example when the correction came from his subordinates.

"The simplest example, sometimes we forget that there is a button that is not attached. Then, our subordinates run: Sir, your uniform, Sir. You have a button.... Oh, this is a brave subordinate who corrects. But he corrects to secure me. Imagine the President appears without a button (complete, ed.). So, sometimes I'm also the same as my aides, I'm crazy. But he takes care of me. He takes care of me. How many times have I been saved," said the President.