Doctored videos of Indonesian president-elect Prabowo 'announcing cash aid' spread online
- Published on August 27, 2024 at 04:37
- 4 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
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One video shared on the SnackVideo platform on August 12, 2024 appears to show Prabowo saying in part: "On the occasion of Indonesia's Independence Day, I will provide assistance to all Indonesian citizens, especially those who follow and are truly in need."
Text overlaid to the video claimed cash aid would range from five million to 50 million Indonesian rupiah (approximately from 320 to 3,200 dollars) depending on the recipient's eligibility.
The post added that Prabowo -- who is set to succeed Indonesian President Joko Widodo in October -- will send the cash assistance to those who follow the account.
Similar posts -- including here, here and here on SnackVideo -- circulated as Indonesia marked its Independence Day on August 17.
Some people appeared to believe Prabowo was genuinely handing out cash.
"Mr President, help me to be free from debt," one wrote in the comments.
"I need help with house renovations, sir," said another.
Another video -- shared on TikTok on August 6 -- appeared to show Prabowo saying he would disburse cash assistance for "the unemployed, widows, college students, the elderly and housewives".
Other posts using different footage have been viewed over 200,000 times on TikTok here, here, and here alongside a false claim he promised aid for all Indonesian families.
Prabowo's spokesman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said the circulating financial aid claims were a "hoax".
"There is no such thing," he told AFP on August 22.
Doctored videos
Reverse image searches on Google found the audio in the circulating videos had been manipulated from unrelated footage where Prabowo made no such cash aid promise.
The first video was taken from footage posted on Prabowo's official Facebook account on June 21, 2018 (archived here).
It shows him announcing a fundraising app called "Galang Perjuangan" before the country's 2019 general elections.
He said in part: "I stand before you to share some of my thoughts and to present a few requests as we work together to find solutions and resolve the challenges our nation faces."
Below is a comparison of the false video (left) and the original footage (right):
The second video corresponds to footage posted on Instagram by a member of Prabowo's Gerindra Party on April 19, 2024 (archived here).
It was also uploaded to YouTube by local media Tribunnews and shows Prabowo discussing an electoral protest filed against him and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka following their victory in 2024 (archived here).
"Ladies and gentlemen, I, Prabowo Subianto, earnestly request all the people of Indonesia, especially the 96.2 million citizens who voted for the Prabowo-Gibran presidential election, to refrain from any actions in front of the Constitutional Court building," he said in Indonesian.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the false video (left) and the original clip (right):
Finally, the third video was taken from a YouTube post by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs on July 18, 2024 (archived here).
It shows Prabowo talking about how outgoing President Joko Widodo was trying to train him to succeed in the country's top job.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have been instructed to represent the President, Mr. Joko Widodo, and what I am conveying here are actually notes and pointers from him," Prabowo says.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the edited video (left) and the original video from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (right):
AFP has previously debunked videos of other Indonesian officials that were doctored to promote false handout claims here and here.
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