Pauline Hanson Tells a Lie: Bali Governor

TheIndonesia.id - Governor of Bali I Wayan Koster said Australian senator Pauline Hanson was spreading disinformation about Bali, especially regarding cows roaming and their droppings scattered on the road, thereby increasing the risk of spreading foot and mouth disease (FMD). Koster suspected that Hanson had never come to Bali and saw firsthand the handling of FMD on the Island of the Gods.

"Lies, (the statement) is a lie," said Koster in response to Hanson's statement when met on the sidelines of his activities in Nusa Dua, Badung, Bali, Art, August 8, 2022. "(The statement) is not true. She didn't come to Bali. Talk from afar," he said.

Koster also continued to challenge Hanson to prove her statement which she made at the council forum in Australia. “Show me where there is cow dung (splattered) on the road,” said Koster.

On the same occasion, the Governor of Bali continued to say that there were no more FMD cases on the Island of the Gods. “The FMD in Bali has run out. No more FMD. The fastest MFD annihilation in Indonesia is in Bali,” said Koster.

Pauline Hanson's statement has gone viral in recent days because her video footage alluding to Bali as an FMD risk area is inaccurate. Hanson, in a video uploaded on his personal YouTube account on August 5, 2022, mentions that cow dung is scattered on the streets of Bali, because cows are allowed to roam.

Then, Australians, who are one of the largest groups of tourists in Bali, step on the dirt and carry the risk of FMD disease entering Australia. Hanson, in the same video, assesses Bali as a serious threat to FMD transmission in Australia. In the video, Hanson mistakenly refers to Bali as a country, considering that Bali is one of the provinces in Indonesia.

However, the Governor of Bali when asked about the possibility of filing a letter of objection against Hanson replied that he had no plans to do so. "No need," said Koster.

However, several ministers including Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno have spoken out about Hanson's statement. Uno strongly denies Hanson's statement, because tourism in Indonesia, including in Bali, applies CHSE standards (cleanliness, health, safety, and environmental preservation). He also said that Hanson's statement was not based on facts so it could not be proven true.

Then, the Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, said that Hanson's statement only referred to her imagination. He also considered that the Australian senator's statement did not need a further response.