September 22, 2026 | 11:11 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Caucus for Academic Freedom (KIKA) sees President Prabowo Subianto's labeling of experts who disagree with the government's policies as "stupid" as more than just a matter of speaking ethics.
According to Herdiansyah Hamzah, a member of KIKA's presidium, Prabowo's remarks reflect an anti-science mindset. “The anti-science politics being built by the Prabowo administration is reflected in how averse the regime is to criticism,” said Herdiansyah on Monday, September 21, 2026.
Herdiansyah stated that the “stupid” label for experts is part of Prabowo's series of responses to criticism from various parties, including academics, analysts, and the media. For example, Prabowo previously accused the media of being "londo ireng," referring to the media's focus on negative aspects of the government's performance.
In addition to being averse to criticism, Herdiansyah believes that the Prabowo administration's policies are anti-science because they are issued without adequate planning or data.
A law professor from Mulawarman University cited the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG), which resulted in 53,000 people suffering from food poisoning. According to Herdiansyah, the prevalence of food poisoning cases from the MBG Program shows that the government does not prioritize science and data when making political decisions.
“What the Prabowo administration is doing is merely placing political desires as the sole reason for issuing various decisions that unfortunately do not prioritize the interests of the general public,” said Herdiansyah.
In line with Herdiansyah, Masduki, a Professor of Communication Studies at the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII), believes that the government does not prioritize scientific matters. According to Masduki, Prabowo's remarks embody the most blatant form of anti-intellectualism. Meanwhile, anti-intellectualism is equivalent to anti-academic freedom.
“This is a very serious alarm. So this is not just like a President doing stand-up comedy,” Masduki said.
He argued that Prabowo's remarks send a dangerous message that attacks academic freedom, which is detrimental to the nation's development. “This is Pak Prabowo and also members of the cabinet, actually starting a war or hostility towards intellectuals,” he said.
Prabowo Subianto made his remarks about experts who criticized the government's policies during his speech at the 28th anniversary celebration of the National Mandate Party in Jakarta on Friday, September 18, 2026. Prabowo mentioned that some experts became foolish because they thought they were too clever.
Prabowo claimed that he did not mind the criticism directed at him. However, he did not accept criticism in the form of slander. "It's up to the experts who consider themselves experts. So smart that they become stupid," Prabowo said.
The Gerindra Party chair stated that an intellectual has a responsibility to be honest. "I remind you, if you are smart, don't forget, an intellectual must be honest. That's called intellectual honesty," Prabowo said.
Tempo contacted Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Head of the Government Communications Agency (Bakom RI) Muhammad Qodari, and Deputy III for Partnership and Media Relations of Bakom RI, Kurnia Ramadhana, for comments on KIKA’s criticism. As of writing this news, however, there has been no response from them.
Read: PVRI: Prabowo's Expert Remarks Signal Anti-Science Stance
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