Indonesia urges calm, joint effort after Singapore internet claim

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2 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid urged calm while emphasizing shared responsibility in protecting digital infrastructure after a Singaporean politician claimed that Indonesia heavily depends on the city-state for internet connectivity.

She said the Indonesian government and public “need not be irritated” by a social media post from former Singaporean member of parliament Calvin Cheng Ern Lee, who suggested that Singapore could cut Indonesia’s internet access.

“The submarine cable communications system that lands in Singapore does not arrive there on its own; a large portion of its route passes through Indonesian waters,” Hafid wrote on her Instagram account, as quoted in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Bearing that in mind, the minister argued that disruptions to the underwater system “could potentially cripple 80 percent of Singapore’s connectivity capacity.”

She also pointed to Indonesia’s demographic advantage, noting that its population is 47 times larger than Singapore’s, with 267 million people connected to the internet.

“Without such figures, global technology investors or companies might potentially pull out of Singapore,” she said.

Hafid concluded by emphasizing the need to avoid narrow-minded thinking and underscoring the importance of cooperation in the digital sector for the greater good.

“Digital infrastructure must be protected collectively, not only to serve the interests of both nations but also to support global connectivity,” she said.

Her statement came after Cheng posted an infographic on X claiming that around 90 percent of Indonesia’s international internet traffic passes through Singapore, describing the city-state as “a critical digital chokepoint.”

Cheng wrote “Cut?” in the caption before later stressing that Singapore “will not do this, obviously.”

He made the statement following Indonesia’s decision to reduce its natural gas exports to Singapore.