September 10, 2025 | 08:56 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) member from Gerindra Party faction, Rahayu Saraswati, has resigned from her position as a legislator. Rahayu is the niece of President Prabowo Subianto and served as a member of the House of Commission VII for the 2024-2029 period.
Rahayu announced her resignation through her official Instagram account on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. "I hereby declare my resignation as a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives to the Gerindra Party faction," said Rahayu in a 6-minute, 6-second-long video.
Rahayu did not state whether she had conveyed her resignation to the leadership of the DPR. She requested the opportunity to complete one final task in Commission VII, which is the approval of the Tourism Bill, before her resignation.
According to Rahayu, her resignation from the DPR is related to a statement she made in a podcast on Antara TV Indonesia in February 2025. Rahayu stated that the statement was edited and became viral on social media in mid-August. "It was turned into a few sentences by parties who wanted to stoke the public's anger," she said.
In the podcast, Rahayu discussed entrepreneurship and urged the youth not to depend on the government for job opportunities.
In the podcast, she mentioned that the government providing jobs should only happen in colonial times. The 42-minute podcast was aired on Antara TV Indonesia's YouTube channel titled Rahayu Saraswati Kupas Isu Perempuan hingga Kolaborasi Ekonomi Kreatif (Rahayu Saraswati Discusses Women's Issues to Creative Economic Collaboration) on February 28, 2025.
Rahayu stated that the podcast video was edited and circulated on social media as material to incite public outrage. However, Rahayu said that she takes full responsibility for her statement. "There was absolutely no intention or purpose on my part to belittle or demean the efforts made by the community," she said.
Rahayu also apologized for her statements in the podcast. She acknowledged that she is a person of privilege. "Through this message, I express my deepest apologies for my words and mistakes," said Rahayu.
She also thanked the voters in the West Jakarta, East Jakarta, and Thousand Islands electoral districts who elected her to the DPR. She promised to fulfill her responsibilities in those electoral districts.
In addition, Rahayu claimed that she will continue to fight politically outside the parliament after her resignation. "The fight for a better Indonesia does not have to come from a seat in the DPR. We are political fighters. As long as there is no injustice, as long as there are still people who cannot smile, we must continue to fight endlessly," she said.
Tempo has made further attempts to confirm Rahayu Saraswati's resignation. Sara, as she is known, has not responded to messages sent via the messaging application.
Rahayu Saraswati's resignation follows the suspension of several DPR members from their positions. Several parties suspended their members due to statements deemed hurtful to the public. This issue also came under scrutiny during the wave of demonstrations and riots at the end of August.
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