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Thursday, July 4, 2013

SBY Ready to Launch Official Facebook Page

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite,  July 4, 2013

In this handout photograph released by the presidential palace President
 Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (L) inspects an Indonesian air force plane during
 a sendoff ceremony at the Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta on
June 25, 2013. (AFP Photo/PresidentSBY.info/Abror Rizki)

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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