‘If I’m a frog, then my mother is a frog’: Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini reports woman to the police for online slander

Indonesia’s Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini. Photo: Instagram/@trirismaharini
Indonesia’s Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini. Photo: Instagram/@trirismaharini

Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, popularly known as Risma, has reported a Bogor citizen for alleged online slander in a derogatory Facebook post.

A mother of three, who goes by the name Zikria Dzatil on Facebook, was arrested in Bogor on Jan. 31 by the Surabaya Police over a post in which she called Mayor Risma names, including likening her to a female frog.

To the police, Zikria said she was upset that her favorite politician, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, was widely panned over Jakarta’s poor handling of the New Year floods and landslides, which killed 67 people. By comparison, Zikria said she thought Risma was immune from the same criticism when Surabaya was flooded — although it was much less severe than Jakarta — in late January and into February. 

Speaking for the first time on the matter since Zikria’s arrest, Risma said she reported Zikria to the police because her words were hurtful.

“If I’m a frog, then my mother is a frog… I don’t want my parents to be insulted,” Risma told reporters yesterday, as quoted by Kompas.

Zikria has written an apology to Risma following her arrest and says that she fully regrets insulting the mayor.

Nevertheless, Zikria was charged with defamation under the Information and Electronic Transactions Act (UU ITE), which is punishable by up to six years in prison.

Related — Police arrest 2 women for sharing fake news saying Wuhan coronavirus had reached Indonesia



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