Happy To Be Criticized By The Government, Mahfud MD: A Lot Of Criticism Is Work, Not Unemployment

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD/DOK VOI

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Kemenko Polhukam), Mahfud MD, said the government is always open to criticism from the public. Mahfud even said that the many criticisms indicated that there was a lot of work to be done.

"I always say this, the government should not be closed to criticism. I'm actually happy when there are criticisms because, for me, a lot of criticism is work, not being unemployed", said Mahfud during the Silahturahim of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs with the Academic Senate and the Diponegoro University Professors Council and Central Java Forkopimda broadcast on YouTube Undip TV Official, Friday, October 22.

However, the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) reminded that the criticism submitted must be by the data. In addition, Mahfud said that the government also has the right to respond to criticism from the public, even to correct it if there is a wrong assumption.

"It should also not be interpreted that if the government is open to criticism then it cannot answer. It is not allowed to give back criticism that your criticism is wrong, for example", he stressed.

Mahfud said the government is certainly ready to answer open criticism but will not use repressive means. "Don't be criticized, keep quiet, don't be repressive, people will be dealt with", he said.

"But even though letting go does not mean letting people criticize without data, without reasonable facts. Therefore, let's discuss this now. We start from things we know to things that need to be discussed", added Mahfud.

He ensures that freedom of expression in society is currently guaranteed by the state. In fact, when the ITE Law was said to suppress freedom, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had taken many steps, including trying to abolish the rubber article and ordering law enforcement officers, in this case, the police, to make guidelines.

"The president took the initiative by trying to learn what the ITE Law was, the rubber articles were deleted, searched, ordered the National Police Chief to make criteria for actions that are considered unlawful that can be subject to the ITE Law, then for those that can't be subject to the ITE Law, do it as well, which can be compromised are resolved through restorative justice", concluded Mahfud.