University of Indonesia Lecturer Reported to Police Over 'Joker Governor' Meme

Jakarta. A University of Indonesia lecturer has been reported to police for defamation after he posted a doctored photograph of Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan showing him with a clown face on his Facebook account.

The defamation case against Ade Armando, who teaches communication at the university's Social and Political Studies faculty, was brought by Jakarta legislator Fahira Idris on Friday.

She cited the Electronic Information and Transaction Law when submitting the complaint to the Jakarta Police and presented a screenshot of the Facebook post.

"[The doctored picture] can be seen clearly on Ade Armando's Facebook account. This is the Jakarta governor in his uniform during the inauguration in a photograph that belongs to the provincial government. But his photo has been modified into a Joker-like figure with a caption that could be classified as defamation," Fahira said. 

The caption under the photograph reads: "Evil Governor Starts Out From Ousted Minister."

Anies was fired by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo from his post as education minister before he contested the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

"In my opinion, what Ade Armando has done must be investigated. I, as a Jakarta resident and member of the Regional Representatives Council [DPD] representing Jakarta, am upset and so are other Jakartans. I have to do something," Fahira said.

Ade, 58, was aware of the police complaint and shared a tweet by Fahira saying she was on her way to the Jakarta Police headquarters.

To several media outlets, he said he did not create the meme in question, but admitted to having deliberately shared it because "it represents what I want to say to Anies and the public."