Dirty Sweetener
[[[[NEW UPDATE, July 31, 9.44pm Jakarta: Indonesia Parliament [DPR] nullified Tom Lembong’s corruption charges following recommendation from President Prabowo. That effectively erases the criminal charges and sentencing and he’s free to go. PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto received amnesty from the President. Also a free man.]]]]]]
Over the last few weeks, the nation has witnessed how the weaponization of law operates in a country that claims to champion rule of law as a foundational element of democracy.
He's [Mr Thomas Trikasih Lembong, popular with Tom Lembong] tempted to do greater good. Harvard-trained banker and financial expert Thomas served as trade minister in 2015-2016 and was later appointed as chief of the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, and [specifically], around 2015 - 2016, former President of Indonesia Joko Widodo has a mandate for Pak Tom Lembong, to get huge investment [especially] from the U.S. —- thanks for Harvard-related connection of Pak Tom. U.S. largely invest in Southeast Asia just via Singapore and Philippines. With 279 millions of Indonesia population, and U.S. population is around 341 millions, total annual foreign direct investment by the U.S. to Indonesia since 2013 until now is [can say] too small.
I really,….truly don’t understand why anyone with a stellar private sector career would choose to enter government service at this point. The very slim odds of making meaningful change just don’t justify the risk of being criminalized.
[Refaat Alareer - IF I MUST DIE]
If you're doing it right, you're criminalized. if you're a whistleblower, you're dead [like my senior, young diplomat, Kak / Mas Arya Daru Pangayunan]. I survive as whistleblower, Mas Daru failed. Day 15 after Mas Daru murdered, I keep thinking he’s not a whistleblower, but seems ‘classified information’ I received suggested Mas Daru same as me as whistleblower, but I has a better luck. The [Indonesia] government is rotten to the ground. That’s what we call love, mate. and as we all know, love is often illogical. Even more so when it comes to love for the country
I hope this serves as a cure for those still clinging to the illusion of “mengubah dari dalam [changed, repaired, fixed our bureaucracy from inside.” The system simply doesn't rewards reformers; it swallows them whole. Turns out it’s too naive, idealist, and groundless. I hope this serves as a lesson for anyone out there who thrive in their successful private sector career to not ever consider switching to a government career. It doesn't worth the risk at all to govern a fucked up country that's been smudged all over by political moves.
[Tak Menikmati Hasil Korupsi, translate to English: He’s innocent, did not see a cent of profit, no corruption, but still received a four-and-half year jail term. Oh, 3 million views]
[‘DIA’ means Nadiem Makarim]
Last week’s guilty verdict against former trade minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong raises questions about the extent to which a government official can be incriminated for making the wrong policy decisions.
Since any official, even the president, can, in retrospect, come up with wrong policies, Thomas’s prosecution appears to be cherry picking, with strong speculation that this is a political vendetta by former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, waged against a former aide. The only things he [Pak Tom] did is just being the opposite of the government and pure to this country, and they just swallowed him after all.
Government affects their business [in Indonesia case]. That is why they, ‘shining Indonesian generation’ like Pak / Mr Tom Lembong, join the government to secure their business. Kinda like Nadiem Makarim [Founder of GOJEK, former Education Minister].
If a stellar private sector career person want to have more power for your career or whatever, they need to play the game. I think Pak Tom just good guy who in wrong place. All the businessmen join politics eventually to secure their business. Even if it costly. Even those working in the private sector have to deal (and collab) with government services in the end. this f******* sucks. We just want to build a future for this nation but the systemic corruption is just mindblowingly so deeply rooted in everything in this country.
The Jakarta Corruption Court found Thomas guilty for his decision in 2015, as trade minister under President Jokowi, to import raw instead of refined sugar to bolster the national stock, and then giving the import licenses to nine private contractors. Although Thomas did not see a cent of profit, the court claimed that he helped enrich the nine importers and that his action had caused Rp 194 billion (US$11.2 million) in state losses. This sum was the total profit that the nine contractors reportedly made when reselling the sugar, after refining it, to state-owned trading company PT PPI.
Thomas received a four-and-half year jail term under the 2001 Corruption Law which defines corruption as the act of enriching oneself or others and causing state losses. The court did not demand that he return the money, and instead ordered him to pay Rp 750 million in fines. The legal definition of corruption is so broad that it can be stretched, as the court did in this case, to criminalize a government official for making the wrong policy choices.
Serving this country is not that worthy. People got gaslighted, backstabbed, and betrayed by the thing they really try to fight for, BY THEIR OWN COUNTRY. Not to mention that the bureaucracy is rotten to the lowest layers. We are so fucked up living here.
During his defense, Thomas said the decision to import raw instead of refined sugar was approved at a cabinet meeting led by then-president Jokowi. He said the import licenses were given out by PPI and that as trade minister he had no direct contact with the contractors. The CEOs of the nine contractors who profited from the imports are still on trial, as is one of the PPI directors.
[around 36 percent sugar in Indonesia sells from or via Alfamart minimarket, an ‘ALDI’ Indonesia version]
Thomas is not the first top government official to be convicted under the corruption law for making a policy decision, but his case raises further questions about the increasingly arbitrary use of the law against anyone who may have offended those in power.
In 2023, Karen Agustiawan, the CEO of the state oil and gas company Pertamina in 2009-2014, was found guilty for corruption over an LNG deal the company signed that went sour, causing $140 million in state losses.
The court in the first instance gave Karen nine years but the Supreme Court raised the jail term to 13 years on appeal.
Pak Thomas’ service was not extended when Jokowi began his second five-year term in office in 2019. In 2023, Thomas became an important figure in the campaign team of Anies Baswedan, who was contesting the 2024 presidential election and was the main challenger to candidate Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo with running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, son of Jokowi.
A Catholic and Chinese-Overseas descendant, Thomas was tasked to win over votes from these two constituents that had eluded Anies. The Attorney General Office launched the corruption investigation against Thomas in October 2023, shortly after he joined Team Anies, at a time when Jokowi was still in charge.
Although Prabowo went on to win the election in February, the case against Tom continued, reflecting the power wielded by Jokowi even when no longer in power. Thomas' verdict may adversely impact governance, as ministers or top government officials learn they could be incriminated for making decisions that may seem right at the time, but could be proven wrong and deemed as corrupt under the Corruption Law down the road.
They cannot assume that their boss, in this case the president, will assume responsibility. It also raises questions about the credibility and independence of the courts of justice. Have they really become subservient to the political needs of those in power? Before we pass judgement, let us give the higher courts, including the Supreme Court, the chance to correct this misperception when Thomas' case appeal reaches their desk.