Jakarta. Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Dharma Pongrekun sparked controversy on Sunday by claiming that the Covid-19 pandemic was part of a "covert agenda by foreign nations" aimed at undermining Indonesia’s sovereignty. This statement contradicts the global consensus that the pandemic was a widespread health crisis impacting all countries.

Dharma, a retired police general and former deputy head of the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN), made the remarks during a televised gubernatorial debate with fellow candidates Ridwan Kamil and Pramono Anung.

In response to a question from Ridwan about how he would handle a future pandemic as governor, Dharma suggested that such crises could be tools of foreign interference.

“I’ve been trained to remain vigilant and to question everything, both literally and figuratively. We must treat every issue with skepticism -- whether it’s genuine or part of foreign infiltration using health issues to erode our sovereignty,” Dharma said.

He went on to claim, without evidence, that “the pandemic was a covert agenda by foreign [countries] to seize our national sovereignty, and we became followers due to our nation’s fragility.”

Additionally, Dharma implied PCR tests, widely used during the pandemic, were deceptive and ineffective at detecting infections.

Despite government data showing that nearly 160,000 Indonesians have died from confirmed Covid-19 cases, with an additional 28,000 deaths from probable cases, Dharma appeared to downplay the pandemic’s toll.

After the debate, Dharma denied endorsing any Covid-19 conspiracy theories. “I didn’t use the word ‘conspiracy’ even once,” he told reporters, before posing a cryptic question: “I believe in God. Do you believe in God or in Covid-19?”

Dharma is running for governor as an independent candidate.