Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, July 4, 2013
Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will follow his successful foray into Twitter with an official Facebook page later this week, presidential spokesman
Julian Aldrin Pasha said on Thursday.
The
president announced plans to join Facebook in early June, saying “Insya Allah,
I will join Facebook,” after the launch of his official Twitter account, the
first official social media account created for the president and his staff.
The palace has not set a firm date for the Facebook page’s official launch,
Julian said, but it will likely go online in “the next three days.”
Yudhoyono
said his recent push into social media was part of an effort to reach out to
average Indonesians. He has become an avid Twitter user since opening the
account in mid-April, signing off as *SBY* on more than 580 tweets and
garnering some 2.67 million followers.
Indonesia
may have one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the region — 22.1
percent in 2012 according to the Indonesian Service Providers Association — but
it has an active presence on social media.
The
nation’s users rank sixth in the world on Twitter and second on Facebook.
Jakarta has the world’s most active Twitter users. Bandung has the sixth.
But the
president’s entry into social media hasn’t been without controversy. The
central government has pushed to reinstate criminal charges for insulting the
head of state, a move that could potentially turn Yudhoyono’s presence on
Twitter and Facebook into a legal battleground.
Yudhoyono
seems prepared for the criticism. His staff said the president was fully “aware
that he will have to respond to both the babble and the critiques.”
“SBY wants
to become a true netizen. He wants to be part of the pulse of ordinary citizens
and immerse himself in a dialogue that is free and equal,” presidential adviser Daniel Sparingga said.
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