Ricki Putra Harahap, Jakarta – Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia on Monday brushed off swirling chatter over a viral video showing Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka skipping handshakes with several top ministers during a military ceremony in West Java, calling it a "wrong camera angle" story that has been blown out of proportion.
The clip, which lit up social media over the weekend, appeared to show Gibran walking past Chief Infrastructure Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), Bahlil, Chief Community Empowerment Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, and Chief Food Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan without a greeting during a troop roll call at the Army's Special Forces training center in Batujajar, Bandung Barat, on Sunday.
Instead, Gibran shook hands with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak and Air Chief Marshal Tonny Harjono before taking his seat.
Speaking to reporters at the Presidential Palace complex, Bahlil said the narrative was misleading.
"Oh, that's just a bad camera angle. I was on the same train as Gibran, we traveled together, sat next to each other. So how could anyone say we didn't shake hands?" he said.
Bahlil said his relationship with the vice president was "perfectly fine" and urged the public to avoid falling for "misleading news."
House Speaker Puan Maharani, who also serves as a senior PDI-P executive, weighed in to calm down rumors of a Cabinet rift. She dismissed suggestions of tension inside President Prabowo Subianto's Red and White Cabinet and told reporters at the parliament complex in Senayan that people should "watch the video first before speculating."
"Think positive," Puan said. "I think everything's fine. The event went smoothly, warmly, and comfortably. Everyone was in good spirits."
The original footage shows Gibran greeting several Cabinet members during the military honors ceremony but walking past AHY and Muhaimin before shaking hands with Attorney General ST Burhanuddin and senior military leaders. The episode, while seemingly minor, has fueled online gossip about the vice president's rapport with fellow ministers.