Reactions by politicians varied, from voicing their support for or opposition to the law, or remaining silent. Many governors, regents, mayors, and DPRDs expressed their rejection of the law after protests erupted and supported the protesters. On 13 October, North Sumatran Governor Edy Rahmayadi says, "I don't even know what's the Omnibus Law. And I'm sure you too haven't known about it, so tabayyun (be wise). Don't spread misinformation, spreading them is sinful." As protests spiked in severity, President Joko Widodo flew to Central Kalimantan to see the progress of the Food Estate Project, a project focusing on Indonesia's natural resources. The general public criticized Jokowi for this, assuming that he is running away from the chaos. #Jokowikabur (English: #JokowiRunsAway) became popular on Twitter. Administration representatives denied that Jokowi was running away from the chaos, stating that the travel was "part of his scheduled agenda." However, the administration had voiced their support against the goals of the protesters. Jokowi responded in a live speech:I see that many of the protests [...] were motivated by misinformation regarding the contents of the [...] law, and hoaxes on social media. I have to clarify again that this [...] law requires many [permits in order for it to be passed]. We, the government, welcomes suggestions and criticisms from the Indonesian people. If there's still any dissatisfaction towards this Law on Job Creation, you are welcomed to suggest a [...] judicial review via MK― the Constitutional Court. This is allowed by our country's basic systems.On social media pro-Omnibus Law accounts, or cyber troops, were mobilized to support the bill and deter criticism. Besides flooding social media with pro-Omnibus Law hashtags, pro-government cyber troops mimicked and magnified negative stories of the protest published by Indonesian news outlets, accusing the protesters of being “anarchic” and lacking proper information on the law. Pro-government cyber troops also scorned the protesters as “hoax-spreaders” for posting tweets based on older drafts or for exposing government officials’ collusion and corruption. Some also instructed their followers, and coordinated with other cyber troops, to harass specific activists.
