Prabowo Shocked by Gerindra Official's Arrest in KPK Sting: If It's Golkar, Let Bahlil Worry

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto stated that whenever a regional head is caught in a KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission) operation, he always inquires about the party affiliation of the individual.

If the arrested individual turns out to be from Gerindra, Prabowo admits that he is always shocked.

"This is a party matter; sometimes we find ourselves, eh, our regent getting caught, arrested. The first question I ask is, 'which party?' 'Hah, Gerindra?' Oh dear. We're shocked," Prabowo remarked while tapping his forehead during the 15th anniversary celebration of Nasdem at Nasdem Tower, Jakarta, on Wednesday (11/11/2026) evening.

Conversely, the reaction differs if a member of another party is arrested.

Prabowo pointed out that if a Golkar regional head gets caught, then Bahlil Lahadalia will be the one to worry.

"If I ask, 'which party?' 'Golkar.' There you go. Let Bahlil deal with it. Is this true? Is it true or not? Based on my experience, it is true," he said.

"For our members, we are deeply concerned. Because in every party, in every group, there are some who are on the siratal mustaqim and some who stray from that path," Prabowo added.

Meanwhile, Prabowo touched on the use of the term 'politician'. He believes 'politician' is more favorable.

"Sometimes, when confronted with news, you all must be shocked at times. We are politicians here, not 'politikus'. Don’t use the term 'politikus' because it sounds like 'tikus' (rat). Let's avoid that. I actually don't want to be called a politician. I prefer to be called a political fighter. A party cadre. A fighting cadre. That’s acceptable. Politician? Oh no, rat," Prabowo added.