Poor (malangkota.go.id) – In order to ensure the success of the Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) in Malang City, the Malang City Government has made a policy to turn off public street lighting (PJU) at several points. Unexpectedly, the policy was used as hoax content by APU by uploading a photo of himself having an accident due to the PJU being turned off.
After being investigated by the Malang City Police and the Malang City Communication and Informatics Agency (Diskominfo), it turned out that the upload was a hoax. The uploaded photo was an old photo. However, it was re-uploaded on the Malang Raya Community Care Facebook group with the caption, 'Thank you, the honorable mayor of Malang, Mr. Sutiaji. Because of your actions, I was hit by a bicycle and because of the irresponsible person who hit me, I still have a fever and I can't get treatment, sir. I was suspected of having COVID. Thank you very much, sir.'
Responding to the incident, the Mayor of Malang, Drs. H. Sutiaji, said that the policy of turning off street lights in several areas of Malang City aims to reduce public mobility at night. Because in addition to business premises being limited until 08.00 WIB, street lights are also turned off, increasing the level of effectiveness and as a marker of the implementation of Emergency PPKM in Malang City.
"The PJU blackout was not done immediately. Before the policy was implemented, we had first surveyed which points would be turned off. Not all were turned off, we looked at the road conditions. If there was a pothole, for example, the PJU would still be turned on so that no accidents would occur," said Mayor Sutiaji, Monday (5/7/2021).
He further said that, the public is expected not to create hoax content that ultimately causes chaos in society. Whereas the impact of hoax content is very large, to the government as a policy maker and to the hoax creator.
"The impact on the government will be public distrust of the program being implemented. So that public mobility is uncontrolled which ultimately makes Emergency PPKM not successful in Malang City," he added.
Meanwhile, for hoax content creators, said Sutiaji, they will be subject to criminal penalties in accordance with Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions.
Meanwhile, Head of Malang City Communication and Information Office Muhammad Nur Widianto, S.Sos said that, before spreading hoax content, it is better to think first about what the impact will be. So that there will be no regrets later, for example like the APU case.
"After being handled by the authorities, he must have regretted it. But that regret is no longer useful. Because even if he apologizes openly to the public, he will still be processed legally," said Wiwid, who also served as Head of Public Relations for the Malang City Government.
He appealed to the people of Malang City, not to be easily influenced and believe in various contents on social media. Because what is seen is not necessarily the truth, it is better to check first before believing it.
“Never share hoax content on social media. Because if what is shared is proven to be hoax content, then the sharer can also be caught under the ITE Law. I also appeal to community social media accounts to check the truth of the content first. If there are no problems or hoaxes in it, then it will be accepted to be uploaded to the managed community group,” he said.
Currently, APU has been secured by the Malang City Police. He apologized through his father to the people of Malang City because his son had created a sensational hoax content.
According to APU's father's confession, the accident his son experienced occurred on May 24, 2021, not when the Emergency PPKM started in Malang City.
“Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb. On behalf of APU's parents, I would like to apologize to the Malang City Police Chief, Malang Mayor Sutiaji, and all Malang City residents. Where my child's post has disturbed the residents of Malang City. This incident occurred on May 24, 2021," said APU's father when apologizing openly.
With his son's upload writing that he had an accident due to a PJU blackout, said APU's father, it was as if the incident experienced by his son was due to a PJU blackout in Malang City. (ram)
