Mahfud MD Values Criticism Through Social Media Does Not Represent Public Opinion

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD. (doc. Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs)

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD assessed that criticism submitted on social media (medsos) usually does not represent public facts and opinions.

This was conveyed by Mahfud in the Gratitude and Awards of the 2023 National Police Commission (Kompolnas) in Jakarta, Monday, August 21.

"We see social media as having extraordinary criticism that we listen to and record. But social media is usually the criticism that does not represent public facts and opinions," he said.

However, Mahfud revealed that he still noted the criticisms conveyed by the public on social media.

According to him, social media users are people in the middle to upper class. Not only that, people who criticize also live in Jakarta and are not satisfied with the government's performance.

"Sometimes the buzzers, strict critics, sometimes when there are people who already live in Jakarta, are a bit opposition to the government, so they give the impression that they are always bad," he said, quoted by Antara.

Mahfud said that initially the level of public satisfaction with law enforcement and high politics and security, 61.9 percent and 79.3 percent, respectively, based on the latest Kompas Research and Development survey.

"By the end of the fourth year (occupied in the position of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs), thank God everything has gone up. Hopefully, it will be gradual next year, because we do a lot of things seriously," said Mahfud.

Meanwhile, Mahfud said he was proud of the level of achieving public satisfaction with law enforcement. This is because the figure is the highest in the second term of President Joko Widodo's administration.

"The legal sphere is also now (the level of satisfaction) reaching its highest," he added.

He also compared the figure of public satisfaction with law enforcement when he only served as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs in 2019. At that time, the level of public trust and satisfaction was only 49.1 percent.

Then, Mahfud was asked by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo to improve law enforcement, politics and security. Meanwhile, in the same survey, the level of public satisfaction with politics and security reached 79.3 percent.

"I ask you to become Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, this must be corrected, including regarding law enforcement and Polkam," he said.