Give and Take for Kaesang Pangarep
Monday, September 9, 2024
There is increasingly compelling evidence of a gratification in the form of a private jet for Kaesang Pangarep. The KPK could investigate this thoroughly.
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HOW nice it must be to be the son or daughter of an official in this country. Thanks to the authority and influence of their parents, they can enjoy luxury facilities from tycoons keen to obtain protection for their businesses from the government. Just look at President Joko Widodo’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, who together with his wife, Erina Gudono, can travel on a private jet owned by Sea Limited—a Singaporean technology conglomerate.
Even if Kaesang and Erina paid to lease the private jet, it would still be inappropriate because it costs up to Rp11 billion to travel from Jakarta to Los Angeles and back. And this luxury is being flaunted by the son and daughter-in-law of the president at a time when the Indonesian people are angry about the efforts by the House of Representatives (DPR) to hobble a ruling from the Constitutional Court concerning the age requirement for regional heads.
After sitting for only two hours, the DPR’s Legislation Body agreed to bring the new Regional Head Election Law to a plenary session. Fortunately, there were huge demonstrations, and as a result, the DPR failed to pass the law, which would have extended Jokowi’s political dynasty. If it had passed, even though he is underage, Kaesang would have been able to stand in an election for a regional head. Therefore, it is important that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigate this alleged gratification as an exchange for President Jokowi’s influence over Sea Limited.
It is clear that this company is close to Kaesang and his family. In 2021, the online shopping company Shopee—a subsidiary of Sea Limited—made a large investment in Solo, Central Java. The company opened the Shopee Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Export Enterprise Campus, followed by the establishment of a new Shopee office. This took place not long after Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Kaesang’s older brother, became the Mayor of Solo.
The relationship between Sea Limited and Kaesang is more apparent in Garena, an online game developer that is another subsidiary of Sea Limited. Garena is a sponsor of the soccer club Persis Solo, in which Kaesang has a 40 percent stake.
Given these facts, it should be easy for the KPK to investigate the alleged gratifications from the company for Jokowi’s family. The excuse that Kaesang is not a state official is a contrivance because Article 12B of the Corruption Law clearly states that a gratification is a type of concealed bribe. The facilities provided to Kaesang are clearly related to his status as a son of the president.
Furthermore, a Singaporean citizen reported the alleged private jet gratification to the Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. The KPK could ask for the assistance of the CPIB, which has the authority to investigate alleged corruption by Singapore citizens. The management of Sea Limited is Singaporean. The CPIB investigation into the providers of all these gratifications could form the basis of the KPK investigating the recipients in Indonesia.
However, it seems impossible to hope that all of these will come about because the KPK is no longer independent, as it is now under the authority of the president. The commissioners will not have the courage to investigate their boss’ son. But next month, Jokowi will no longer be president. The KPK should not be afraid to investigate this brazen corruption by members of his family. As well as restoring public trust and stripping away the camouflage of Jokowi family’s allegedly simple lifestyle, most importantly the KPK will send a message that collusion between the government and businesspeople only leads to corruption.
