REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- A minister's statement deemed offensive to the president should have been made within a limited circle, according to a political observer.
"The statement is a reasonable emotional response from a minister who is of the view that he or she has contributed something but instead faces a reshuffle," Firman Noor of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) noted here on Wednesday.
However, he is convinced that such a statement should have been made only within a limited circle. Therefore, he questioned how a minister's statement considered insulting to the president was made public.
"How could it surface among the public?" he questioned.
Noor stated that it quite likely that the minister, who made the offensive remarks, felt that he or she had not received directives from the head of state regarding his or her tasks.
Therefore, the minister felt that the president lacked adequate knowledge regarding his or her working domain.
The LIPI political scientist affirmed that the concerned minister could feel even more offended if the president was dragged into the tune of the public opinion regarding the performance of the cabinet.
"It can turn out to be more offensive, as it appears that the president largely follows the public opinion as compared to the objective's tight parameters," he stated.
He pointed out that the minister's statement, which is viewed to be insulting to the president, should serve as a reminder that something inappropriate exists in the pattern of the relations between the president and his ministers.
"This also reflects the internal situation of the cabinet and the quality of its leadership," he noted.
Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo remarked that he was ready to defend the president from anyone who tried to humiliate him.
"As the home affairs minister, I am ready to defend the president from whoever insults the president as the state symbol," the home affairs minister emphasized.
Kumolo affirmed that any form of criticism against the president should be made directly and not through the mass media using inappropriate words.
"Political party leaders and members of the House of Representatives (DPR) are welcome when they want to provide inputs and suggestions openly through the media and the press, but they should not use inappropriate words," Kumolo remarked.
The home affairs minister also claimed that he had never revealed the name of the minister who was viewed to have made derogatory remarks against President Joko Widodo.
"I have never mentioned any name in front of the press in my statement," he added.
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