General Secretary Of PP Muhammadiyah Abdul Mu'ti Says There Are 'Catfish Politicians', PDIP Legislators: A Signal For Introspection

General Secretary of PP Muhammadiyah, Abdul Mu'ti/DOK ANTARA

JAKARTA - PDI-P politician Arteria Dahlan took seriously the statement by the General Secretary of PP Muhammadiyah, Abdul Mu'ti, who used the term "Catfish Politician" to insinuate people who often want to appear cloudy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The term was previously conveyed by the former General Chairperson of PP Muhammadiyah, Syafi'i Ma'arif.

Meanwhile, Abdul Mu'ti's intention to bring up the term again was to remind the public to be vigilant and not to be provoked by people who could cause a commotion.

Arteria considered that what Abdul Mu'ti said should be studied in depth. Moreover, Abdul Mu'ti is a senior figure of Muhammadiyah.

According to him, the figure of Abdul Mu'ti is a statesman who became one of the nation's teachers. For Arteria, every statement needs to be examined in terms of the meaning and message conveyed.

"If it comes out of the mouth of a Prof. Abdul Mu'ti, we have to look at it carefully. Of course that expression must be a material for introspection for all politicians and even material for introspection for all of us when we face a non-natural disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Arteria to reporters, Friday, August 6.

In addition, he continued, the figure of Abdul Mu'ti is a person who rarely appears in public spaces to deliver political statements.

"If at this time he conveyed the term "catfish politician", of course it should be a signal or a sign that we all have to be introspective," said the member of Commission III of the DPR.

Previously, the General Secretary of the Central Leadership (PP) Muhammadiyah Abdul Mu'ti said there was a danger of 'catfish' politicians threatening Indonesia. According to him, the presence of these 'catfish politicians' can also worsen the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mu'ti said the term 'politician catfish' was borrowed from the phrase Buya Syafii Ma'arif. The term is used to denote those who like to appear to confuse the situation and pit them against each other.

"I say that these politicians are not always those who are administrators of political parties, but people whose minds always associate various situations with politics, various issues are politicized," said Abdul Mu'ti, quoted from Muhammadiyah's official website, Friday, August 6.