Amien Rais Cites Free Speech Over Prabowo and Teddy Video Claims

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The chair of the Ummat Party's Syuro Assembly, Amien Rais, has addressed his viral video, in which he mentioned a special relationship between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya.

The video, which has since been removed from Amien Rais's private YouTube account, sparked protests and condemnation from the Minister of Communication and Digital Informatics, Meutya Hafid, due to its alleged defamatory content.

During the National Assembly of the Ummat Party in Yogyakarta on Saturday, May 2, 2026, the former Chair of the House of Representatives stated that his remarks in the video should be seen as a form of freedom of expression granted to citizens.

"I believe that democracy functions well when the freedom to express opinions guaranteed by our Constitution is not restricted or silenced," said Amien.

Amien believes that Indonesia, as a democratic country, should ensure freedom of expression for its citizens, even if those opinions contradict those in power or other groups of people.

Regarding his allegations about the relationship between Prabowo and Teddy, which he claimed exceeded professional boundaries, Amien admitted to having his own reasons.

"As for Teddy, I gathered information from various sources, including YouTube and various social media channels, and I believe it is almost convincing that there is something very unusual about Teddy," he said.

Amien pointed out that Teddy's unusual behavior stemmed from the excessive power currently bestowed upon him by Prabowo.

"I see that Teddy is constantly sticking to Mr. Prabowo, to the extent of determining guests, which ministers, and which generals can meet with Mr. Prabowo," he stated.

Amien suggested that in order to avoid a negative stigma in society, Prabowo should provide Teddy with new responsibilities or a position elsewhere, so as not to constantly cling to Prabowo and disrupt his government.

"Teddy is only a Cabinet Secretary, but he acts as if he is the most influential, feeling more important than the actual secretary," he asserted. "He can select guests, who can be received, and who cannot."

Amien also admitted that a coordinating minister told him about the difficulty in meeting Prabowo due to Teddy's arrangements.

"The coordinating minister said, 'Sir Amin, there are times when I cannot meet the President because Teddy says there is no time or he hasn't scheduled it yet,'" Amien recounted.

Nevertheless, the minister knew that Prabowo was at the palace and only needed 5-10 minutes to report his duties.

"This kind of behavior is a blunder for Prabowo's leadership," said Amien, who also claimed that he had not met Prabowo again since his inauguration as president.

Amien recommended that Teddy should not be punished, criticized, or dismissed. "Just give him (Teddy) a different job, replace him with someone who will not be a burden, that's all," he suggested.

In response to the threat of legal action from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Informatics for disseminating the video, Amien Rais was nonchalant. "Legal experts have informed me that the Ministry of Communication and Digital Informatics has no right to take legal action," he said.

According to Amien, the only one who has the right to bring a case about the video is Secretary Teddy himself, if he intends to pursue it to court.

"If it does reach the court, I am confident that I will request statements from several specialist doctors to ascertain if he is truly gay or not," he stated.

Previously, the Minister of Communication and Digital Informatics, Meutya Hafid, stated that the video statement by the Chair of the Ummat Party's Syuro Assembly, Amien Rais, which dragged the names of President Prabowo Subianto and Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya, contained defamatory narratives and hate speech.

"The narratives are an attempt to degrade the dignity of the highest leaders of the country, lack factual basis, and are part of an effort to provoke public disturbances," Meutya Hafid said in a written statement on Friday, May 1, 2026.

For Meutya, this has the potential to sow division among the nation. She emphasized that the digital democracy space is a platform for the exchange of ideas, not a space to produce content of hatred that attacks the dignity of any human being.

Read: Komdigi Blasts Amien Rais Video Alleging Prabowo-Teddy 'Ties'

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