Fact-checking the President
From million-rupiah shallots to unverified nuclear claims, President Prabowo Subianto's off-script habits are turning presidential rhetoric into viral punchlines - and putting the nation’s credibility on the line.
President Prabowo Subianto's off-script habits have turned his presidential rhetoric into viral punchlines, raising concerns about the nation's credibility. During his State of the Nation Address on August 14, he inaccurately claimed that a woman named Susanah, introduced as proof of his welfare programs' success, was a shallot peeler earning Rp 700,000 per kilogram.
Social media quickly debunked this, revealing Susanah was actually a scrap-fabric seamstress earning Rp 700 per day, well below the poverty line. The President failed to clarify this mistake, with only a verbal acknowledgment from his communications agency head, Muhammad Qodari, who dismissed it as a simple slip of the tongue.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post Academia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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