A commentator’s unusual behavior on an Indonesian talk show has social media buzzing with rumors and accusations that he was high on shabu (a local term for crystal meth) or experiencing withdrawal while on the air.
But Boni Hargens, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia and a member of the National News Agency Institute (LKBN), fiercely denied the accusations, saying his behavior and early departure from the show was caused due to a medical condition.
“[They say I was experiencing withdrawal?] The people who are slandering me are all crazy. I have never touched drugs in my life. But then political discourse in this country is still controlled by terrible people,” Boni told Tempo yesterday.
The incident took place yesterday when Boni appeared on TVOne’s morning show. It went viral after Twitter user @NetizenTofa posted this video along with the caption, “Mr @bonihargens why did you really stop this interview on TV One? Is there somebody from @antaranews who can DM me?”
https://twitter.com/NetizenTofa/status/884306128347185153
The video quickly got shared hundreds of times with commenters speculating that Boni appeared to be either high on shabu or experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
But Boni rejected the accusations as being completely unfounded, explaining that his behavior, and subsequent early departure from the show was due to hypocalcemia, a condition caused by low calcium blood levels.
The political analyst said the condition led him to check into Jakarta’s Siloam Hospital from June 29 to July 3, although even after he was released the condition continued to recur and he continued to receive treatment.
When TVOne producers invited him onto yesterday’s talk show to discuss the bill allowing for the legal dissolution of civil society organizations such as Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, Boni said the issue was important enough that he wanted to go onto the program despite his health concerns, although he says he asked the producer to limit his amount of time on the show.
Boni said that he experienced symptoms of hypocalcemia, including dizziness and shortness of breath, during the interview. He also said that the show’s producer, knowing about his condition, allowed him to leave the show earlier than planned. He went to Siloam Hospital directly after the show for a checkup and treatment.
To prove his claims, Boni provided Detik copies of his medical records and lab results from Siloam Hospital, as well as a photo of Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki visiting him in the hospital.
As a political commentator, Boni has often spoken out against endemic government corruption. He has also been a strong critic of Governor-elect Anies Baswedan.
