JAKARTA: A special presidential envoy and celebrity preacher who came under fire after a viral video of him mocking an iced tea seller at a mass religious event, has stepped down from his official position following public outrage.
Mr Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman – also known as Gus Miftah – announced his resignation as the Presidential Special Envoy for Religious Harmony and Religious Facility Development at a press conference on Friday (Dec 6) in Yogyakarta.
“I made this decision not because I was pressured by anyone or because of anyone’s request but … because of the deep respect I have for President Prabowo Subianto and the entire community,” he was quoted as saying by CNN Indonesia.
Following the release of the video earlier this week, which dominated headlines, analysts posited that Mr Miftah’s credibility as a presidential envoy could be a “burden” for Mr Prabowo’s administration.
“He needs to be dismissed because he could be a burden on the government, the cabinet and Mr Prabowo’s image since what he said is contrary (to current government approaches)”, Mr Agung Baskoro, a political observer from Trias Politika Strategis institution, told CNA.
He added that Mr Miftah’s words had the potential to undermine the pro-people image that Mr Prabowo has been emphasising, especially through various populist initiatives such as the free nutritious meals programme as well as efforts to eliminate debts for small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and farmers.
As of Dec 6, over 318,480 netizens had signed a petition launched on Dec 4 via platform change.org calling for Mr Miftah’s dismissal from his position as a special presidential envoy, while numerous comments have flooded Mr Prabowo’s social media accounts using the hashtags “#boycottmiftah” and “#firemiftah”.
“There are so many good religious teachers in Indonesia but why do you have to choose Mr Miftah?” a netizen left a comment on Mr Prabowo’s Instagram on Thursday.
“Listen to the voices of your people, fire (Mr) Miftah,” said another comment on Thursday.
The video showed Mr Gus publicly calling an iced tea seller “stupid” and then laughing at him at a religious gathering attended by hundreds of the preacher’s followers in Magelang, Central Java.
“Do you still have lots of iced tea left? Sell it there, you stupid,” Mr Miftah said on stage in the video.
The footage also showed the iced tea seller, “Mr Sunhaji”, who was carrying the drinks over his head, sighing as he was surrounded by Mr Miftah’s followers who laughed along.
GUS MIFTAH BERCANDA NGATAIN BAPAK PENJUAL MINUMAN GOBL*K HINGGA WAJAHNYA TERLIHAT SEDIH‼️
Kasian banget bapak penjual minumannya, ekspresinya itu sedih banget 🥹
Gimana menurut kalian? pic.twitter.com/Qt795Uq2U9
— Txt dari Drama (@txtdrdrama) December 4, 2024
Netizens have slammed his condescending remarks, perceived to be demeaning to those trying to make a living in the country.
“Which verse in the Quran allows you to insult the poor and call them ‘stupid’? Maybe try to find a living in other ways instead of selling the religion,” said X user Mr Akbar Faizal on Wednesday.
“Why laugh at those trying to make a living for their family? Is it funny to you?” said X user @cingreborn on the same day, with the post garnering over 11,000 reposts.
Mr Sunhaji reportedly received an outpouring of support in the form of donations following the incident, with some even offering to sponsor him on a pilgrimage trip to Mecca.
A netizen, Mr Budi Irwanto, who runs a donation organisation told local media Liputan6.com on Wednesday that 38-year-old Mr Sunhaji started his iced tea business a year ago. Prior to that, he worked as a woodcutter but had suffered a bone injury.
“He is currently supporting his wife and his children who are still in primary and secondary school,” Mr Budi was quoted as saying by Liputan6.com.
REPRIMANDED BY PRESIDENT PRABOWO
Following the public outrage, Mr Prabowo weighed in on the incident, through the Presidential Communications Office and his Gerindra Party.
“On behalf of the Presidential Communications Office, we are concerned about the unpleasant incident which involved a Special Envoy to the President of Indonesia, and we would like to emphasise here that President Prabowo Subianto has deep respect for everyone (in the country), street vendors, fishermen, farmers,” Head of the Presidential Communications Office Hasan Nasbi told the media on Wednesday, as quoted by local media outlet Detik.
“The president has given a warning to him (Mr Miftah) through the Cabinet Secretary (Teddy Indra Wijaya) and ordered him to apologise immediately to Mr Sunhaji,” Mr Hasan added.
Following Mr Teddy’s reprimand, Mr Miftah had personally gone to Mr Sunhaji’s residence in Magelang to apologise to him directly.
Meanwhile, the Gerindra party, which Mr Prabowo is part of, had also posted a video on Instagram reiterating Mr Prabowo’s deep respect for street vendors in the country, with the post garnering over 568,000 likes.
“Let me remind you, I have deep respect for street vendors, motorcycle taxi drivers and bakso (meatball) sellers. Every day, the street vendors put in hard work, they pour in his sweat and energy into his work, striving tirelessly to provide for his family and ensure that his children and wife have a better life,” Mr Prabowo said in the video which also showed snippets of Mr Sunhaji trying to sell his iced tea.
Local media reported however that it was an old video of Mr Prabowo giving a speech at an Indonesian university.
“What Gus (Mr Miftah) did is not in line with what Mr Prabowo expects and teaches,” the Gerindra party posted as its caption for the Instagram post.
Former secretary of Mr Prabowo’s national campaign team – Mr Nusron Wahid – had told Liputan6.com in February that Mr Miftah played a crucial role to win votes for Mr Prabowo in East and Central Java. As a young Nahdlatul Ulama preacher, Mr Miftah reportedly gathered support from Islamic students and clerics to vote for Mr Prabowo.
“He (Miftah) has a relatively large support base too so there will be a reaction from his supporters which could potentially disrupt the government’s political interests,” analyst Mr Cecep told CNA.
ROLE OF RELIGIOUS PREACHERS NOW A HOT TOPIC
Meanwhile, a member of the Indonesian Parliament (DPR), Maman Imanulhaq, has urged the Religious Affairs Ministry to implement a certification for all religious preachers in Indonesia, so that their teaching material does not deviate from religious values.
“The incident of the preacher insulting the tea seller must serve as a lesson for us, the Religious Affairs Ministry needs to certify these preachers,” Mr Maman said in a statement on Wednesday, as quoted by Detik.
Mr Maman added that a religious preacher should not be using foul language or be making fun of others when preaching.
The viral incident has sparked reactions not only within the country but also in neighbouring Malaysia.
“It is odd that someone who knows the religion, preaches on Islam could make insulting comments like that,” Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said in his speech at a Finance Ministry event in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department of Religious Affairs Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the incident should serve as a reminder for religious preachers to maintain integrity and good conduct in their work.
“Preaching is not about provoking arguments or inciting hostility, it should never be about insults or belittling others,” Dr Mohd Na’im was quoted as saying by the Malay Mail at the National Preacher Awards ceremony in Putrajaya on Thursday.
“Preachers bear the responsibility of being a positive example for the community,” he added.
Additional reporting by Denny Armandhanu.
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