Prabowo's 'londo ireng' remark sparks journalist protests, MTI criticism
Komdigi defended the president's speech context, while a journalists' alliance held protests in several cities on Monday.
President Prabowo Subianto's remark about “londo ireng” has triggered a new wave of criticism from civil society groups and journalists. Masyarakat Transparansi Indonesia said the labeling of journalists, observers, and NGOs shifts attention from the substance of criticism to the motives of critics, weakening public oversight in a democracy. MTI Executive Director Ahmad Jilul Qurani Farid described criticism as the “oxygen of democracy,” not betrayal. On Monday, a journalists' alliance also staged protests in several cities. On the other hand, the Ministry of Communication and Digital, through Director General of Public Communication and Media Fifi Aleyda Yahya, defended the context of Prabowo's speech at Harlah PKB on 23 July 2026, calling it a political metaphor and not an attack on the profession or the media.