A conservative politician in Indonesia has accused a political rival of being gay and warned that he has a close friendship with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Politician Amien Rais uploaded a video to YouTube on 30 April in which he accused Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indro Wijaya of being homosexual, claiming he was unfit for his job and a moral threat to the nation.
“Teddy is gay, like the people of Lot in biblical times,” said Amien, who founded the conservative Muslim party Ummat in 2021.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but in recent years there has been a significant push to introduce laws against same‑sex relationships, and the country’s LGBTIQA+ communities are often targeted under other laws that are broadly open to interpretation.
Rais urged the President to replace Wijaya with someone he considered more suitable for the role. He said the President needed to “cut himself loose from Teddy’s dangerous grip” and appoint a “normal” person.
The video was taken down the following day. Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said it had been removed at the government’s insistence because it contained “hoaxes, slander and hate speech.”
“The video’s narrative is an attempt to demean the state leader, has no factual basis and is part of a provocative effort to create public unrest,” Meutya said in a statement.
Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid condemned the video, saying: “There is no scientific link between lesbian or gay sexual orientation and the inability to lead, nor that it damages public morals.”
Indonesia’s Minister for Human Rights, Natalius Pigai, also spoke out against the accusations, saying the statements made by Rais were not necessarily protected under freedom of speech.
