JAKARTA – The Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, inaugurated structural and functional officials at the Operational Room of the Kemendes PDT Office, Jakarta, on Monday (August 3, 2026). The inauguration and oath-taking ceremony were held alongside the signing of integrity pacts and performance agreements for officials across the Ministry.

In his address, Minister Yandri stated that job placements within the Ministry of Villages and PDT are conducted transparently and are strictly free from any form of transaction. He emphasized that the officials inaugurated had successfully progressed through rigorous assessment stages conducted by the evaluation panel.

"The Deputy Minister and I have maintained a firm commitment from the beginning: first, in appointing these officials, there is no collusion whatsoever. You passed because the evaluation process was stringent. I have never dropped names or favored candidates, nor has the Deputy Minister. Our only request to all of you is to perform your duties well," Minister Yandri stated.

"Secondly, throughout the placement process, there has been zero solicitation of funds. I repeat this repeatedly in this room: no party—including myself, the Deputy Minister, or anyone claiming to represent us—is allowed to levy any charges whatsoever," he added.

Consequently, Minister Yandri congratulated the newly appointed officials and encouraged them to express their gratitude by executing their respective main duties and functions effectively. He urged all officials across the Ministry to deliver their best performance for Kemendes PDT.

Minister Yandri also called on all personnel to safeguard the reputation of Kemendes PDT, noting that institutional integrity rests not only on the Minister and Deputy Minister, but on every official and employee within the Ministry. He urged everyone to seriously uphold the institution’s image, as the face of Kemendes PDT is reflected in every member of its workforce.

Furthermore, Minister Yandri advised all personnel to remain vigilant in today's open information era. According to him, positive narratives can sometimes be overshadowed by negative ones. Moreover, accurate news can be drowned out by hoaxes if not actively disseminated.

Therefore, he instructed all ranks within Kemendes PDT to actively share true and constructive news while taking an active role in countering hoaxes and irresponsible information.

He pointed to a recent viral deepfake video containing a false statement claiming he would close down village traditional kiosks (warung) to favor the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives. He emphasized that the video clip was a slanderous fabrication created using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

"Honestly, anyone with digital literacy can distinguish authentic footage from a fake. Yet, reading the comments, many people believed it. Ladies and gentlemen, please monitor this; I want to see our Echelon I working units actively counter these fabrications. Not only when it affects Kemendes PDT, but whenever there are unverified, propaganda-driven, or provocative attacks against the government we have a duty to clarify the facts, identify the hoax, and present the truth," he asserted.

"Everyone has a smartphone; please do not remain silent. Often, those spreading criticisms or hoaxes speak loudly, while those defending the truth remain quiet. Sometimes we just passively watch TikTok or Instagram without commenting," Minister Yandri concluded.

Photo: Dani/Kemendes PDT
Text: Rifqi/Kemendes PDT