One of the most well-known songs by South Korean rapper DPR Live is To Myself, which has a repeated “DPR we gang gang” hook.
This week, amid heated online discussions on the controversial omnibus law on job creation in Indonesia, many Indonesian K-pop fans and netizens are gang gang-ing up the wrong tree, as both the rapper — whose stage name stands for “Dream Perfect Regime” — and Indonesia’s House of Representatives share the same initials, DPR.
The omnibus bill on job creation was passed into law by the government and DPR on Monday, three days earlier than initially scheduled, despite massive and widespread opposition. The government-supported bill, which has been marred with controversies since its proposal, is expected to boost the economy by cutting red tape, attract investment, and create new jobs, but it has been roundly condemned for its potential to heavily infringe on labor rights and harm the environment.
Today, DPR’s Legislative Body (Baleg) said that the draft of the bill is not yet final, meaning that it was passed into law even when changes still had to be made. Protests led by workers and students have erupted in numerous cities and regions in Indonesia, leading to hundreds of arrests.
Read Also — Hundreds arrested as students, workers clash with authorities in job creation law protests
Now, netizens across the country are attempting to raise awareness about this controversial new law online, with K-pop stan (hardcore fans) accounts credited to catapulting hashtags related to the matter into international trending topics on Twitter.
While Indonesians are understandably frustrated, which prompted them to vent their anger towards the lawmakers on DPR’s social media pages, many of them appeared to have directed their angry comments to DPR Live’s latest Instagram post instead. It’s worth noting that DPR’s Instagram handle is @dpr_ri, while the 27-year-old rapper’s page is @DPRLive, each with starkly different profile photos and feed content.
If you take a look at DPR Live’s post below, comments such as “DPR asu” and “DPR anjeng” (DPR are dogs), “DPR kontol” (kontol refers to male genitalia), “#TolakOmnibusLaw” (#RejectOmnibusLaw), and “Mosi Tidak Percaya” (vote of no confidence) are dominating the comments section.
Thankfully, a large number of K-pop fans are also ganging up to defend DPR Live — whose real name is Hong Da-bin — and tell off their fellow Indonesians to stop bullying him as he is most likely clueless about Indonesian politics.
“I’m laughing at those who are on the wrong server.”
“Different DPR, guys.”
“Please, did you all think that [your Omnibus Law] curses here will get any response from DPR Live? Be wise if you want to comment, this is [another] person’s account.”
Funnily enough, DPR Live was also unknowingly involved in last year’s nationwide protests against the government, after a student of Diponegoro University Semarang, Central Java carried a sign that shows her preference for the indie rapper instead of parliament.
— Bene (@bucincokun) September 24, 2019
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