"Bahlil has officially been dismissed from his position," reads the Indonesian-language text overlaid on a TikTok video shared on November 11, 2025.
The video shows Bahlil Lahadalia speaking from a podium and thanking colleagues for their support as he wipes away tears.
It surfaced against the background of fuel shortages at private gas stations in Indonesia, blamed in part on government import restrictions.
Bahlil, as Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, has drawn the brunt of public criticism and was targeted by social media users who created memes mocking him (archived here and here).
"Congratulations to Mr Prabowo for firing Bahlil, Bahlil cried right after being dismissed," read a comment on one of the posts, referring to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Another said: "Please carry it out immediately, Mr Prabowo."
But there have been no official reports of Bahlil being fired. And, as of November 11, he remains listed as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources on the ministry's website (archived link).
A keyword search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to footage posted on the official YouTube channel of Indonesia's Ministry of Investment and Downstream Industry (BKPM) on August 19, 2024 (archived here).
The portion used in the false posts corresponds to the 15:44 mark of the YouTube video, which is titled, "Handover Ceremony of the Minister of Investment/Head of BKPM".
At the time, Bahlil was the head of BKPM.
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