Ferry Hidayat, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's communication style has once again sparked a sharp public polemic. The trigger was his use of the harsh epithet "idiot experts" (pakar goblok) which was blatantly thrown around during a speech at the 28th-anniversary commemoration of the National Mandate Party (PAN) at the Jakarta International Convention Centre (JICC) on Wednesday evening September 18.
Although in his speech Prabowo equivocated that the insult was directed at experts who crossed the line from criticism into spreading slander, the comment instead generated negative sentiment.
The head of state was perceived as overly emotional and unwilling to accept input that contradicts his administration's views.
"This reactive response to criticism gives rise to the perception that Prabowo Subianto is projecting the image of an arrogant leader. Rather than being open to evaluation for the sake of complementing work programs, the insult is viewed as being more appropriate as material for introspection by the president himself", said Political House Director Fernando Emas when speaking to reporters on Sunday September 20.
This attitude of shutting out external criticism has led to comparisons of Prabowo's leadership style to that of a "frog in a coconut shell" (narrow-minded and insular, think that they know everything but in fact know nothing).
He is seen as only wanting to accept input and information only from his inner circle, so critical voices from outside the corridors of power are considered as trivial or even viewed as unimportant threats.
Emas believes that this attitude of feeling infallible and anti-criticism has given rise to pessimistic speculation about the survival of Prabowo's term in office.
"If this insular and emotional leadership style continues to be maintained, serious doubts emerge about his ability to complete his term through to 2029", he added.
Many parties suggest that President Prabowo does not need not rush into thinking about the political contest for the subsequent term.
"Completing the first term amidst a stable political climate is considered a formidable challenge, given the potential for upheaval that could lead to a loss of power before his official term in office ends", he explained.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Balas Sebutan 'Pakar Goblok' dari Prabowo, Pakar Politik: 'Arogan, Jangan Mikir Pilpres 2029, Periode Pertama Tuntas Saja Berat'".]
