Posts about Indonesia cabinet 'reshuffle' misrepresent old clip

Published on February 19, 2025 at 03:55
Updated on February 19, 2025 at 08:18
3 min read
By Felix NATHANIEL, AFP Indonesia

Indonesia's fisheries minister came under fire over a lengthy "sea fence" allegedly erected without proper permits off the northwest coast of the archipelago's main island Java. But footage that surfaced online does not show President Prabowo Subianto asking the former head of the ministry to take over the job, contrary to social media posts. The clip shows an old meeting between Prabowo and ex-minister Susi Pudjiastuti in April 2023.

"Mrs. Susi Pudjiastuti is invited by Prabowo to the palace. Signs of a reshuffle in the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries," read part of the Indonesian-language caption to the video shared on TikTok on January 27, 2025.

It shows a meeting between Prabowo and former fisheries chief Susi Pudjiastuti, including a scene where they are shown signing a document.

The post emerged as Prabowo ordered a probe on a controversial "sea fence" built in a coastal area in Tangerang regency (archived link).

The bamboo structure -- reportedly 30 kilometres (18 miles) long -- sparked outrage among fishermen as it blocked their access to the sea (archived link).

It was unclear who built the "sea fence", which Indonesian troops started tearing down in January (archived link).

During a parliamentary inquiry, current fisheries head Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said his agency "currently still has weaknesses in monitoring" the use of the archipelago's marine area (archived link).

Screenshot of the false post, taken on February 11, 2025

The video also surfaced alongside similar false claims on TikTok and SnackVideo, with comments indicating many social media users believed the clip was recent.

"Awesome, Mrs. Susi, let's continue," one wrote.

"Come on, Prabowo, remove all of Mulyono's appointed ministers," said another, using the birth name of former president Joko Widodo who appointed Sakti to his current post (archived link).

Old meeting

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the video found similar footage posted April 14, 2023 on the YouTube channel of local media KompasTV (archived here).

"Moment when Prabowo Subianto and Susi Pudjiastuti meet," its title read.

The scene from the longer video's 20-second mark corresponds to the clip shared in the false posts.

Screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and corresponding footage from KompasTV

The YouTube video's caption further says it shows Prabowo -- who was defence minister at the time -- meeting Susi at his office.

The Ministry of Defence also published a statement saying Susi met Prabowo "for a friendly visit" on April 12, 2023, along with a picture showing Susi in the same clothes she was wearing in the circulating video (archived link).

"Wearing white and black clothing, Mrs. Susi Pudjiastuti visited Defense Minister Prabowo for a friendly visit," the statement said.

Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and Indonesian Ministry of Defense's photo (R), with similarities highlighted by AFP

There were no official reports indicating Prabowo had offered Susi her old post as of February 18, 2025.

AFP has previously debunked misinformation around the "sea fence" controversy.

February 19, 2025This story was refiled for a technical reason.

February 19, 2025 This story was refiled for a technical reason.

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