Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – Executive Director of LBH Pers Mustafa Layong revealed several anomalies in the lawsuit filed by Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman against Tempo. Amran filed a lawsuit against Tempo in the South Jakarta District Court regarding the headline story titled "Poles-poles Beras Busuk" (Rotten Rice Touch-ups) in the May 16, 2025 edition.
Amran argued that Tempo did not comply with the Statement, Assessment, and Recommendation (PPR) issued by the Press Council. The value of the lawsuit he filed is over Rp200 billion.
Mustafa explained that Minister Amran was not actually involved in the PPR process. In the complaint document to the Press Council in June 2025, the complainant's name listed was Wahyu Indarto with Tempo.co under PT Inti Media Digital (IMD) as the defendant. Throughout the summons process, Wahyu Indarto appeared as an individual who is a civil servant (ASN) at the Ministry of Agriculture.
"There was never any information, or even in the correspondence, that conveyed that Wahyu Indarto was a representative or had the authority of Minister Amran Sulaiman," said Mustafa in the Tukang Kupas Perkara (TKP) episode aired on Friday, October 24, 2025 on Tempo's YouTube channel.
In the lawsuit filed on July 1, 2025 in South Jakarta District Court, the Minister of Agriculture acted as the plaintiff and PT Tempo Inti Media tbk as the defendant. Mustafa stated that Amran questioned the PPR case, while the PPR decision is not binding between him and Tempo.co. The reason is that the PPR is only binding on Wahyu Indarto as the complainant and Tempo.co as the defendant. "So both parties are not involved in the PPR process. Therefore, there is something wrong or not quite right about the process," said Mustafa.
The five points in the PPR recommendation include changing the title on the poster uploaded on Tempo's Instagram account, issuing an apology, and moderating the content. The remaining points state that Tempo should report back to the Press Council that it has carried out the given recommendations. Mustafa stated that Tempo has complied with these recommendations within the 224 hour deadline.
Furthermore, the lawsuit of Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman against Tempo is recorded with Case Number 684/Pdt.G/2025/PN JKT SEL. He believes that the defendant has committed illegal acts against the plaintiff, causing the Ministry of Agriculture to suffer both material and immaterial losses.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2060609/the-oddities-of-minister-amran-sulaimans-lawsuit-against-temp