“I Will Chase Corruptors to Antarctica”: A Tale of Two Realities

In 1992, Japan’s Finance Minister Taro Aso shared cherries with citizens for political support. The public was outraged; he resigned. In 2018, South Africa’s Lindiwe Sisulu resigned after being photographed in an $8,000 outfit, realizing her lack of sensitivity to the poor. In 2020, Australia’s David Littleproud stepped down over a photo of him holding a large fish — deemed bad for the government’s image.

In the UK, a minister resigned for being two minutes late to a session. Another resigned for using an official car for personal errands. In France and Italy, ministers quit over a misplaced laugh or luxury accessories during an economic crisis. They resigned not because they were forced to, but because they understood political shame.

And then, there is Indonesia.

Here, a man convicted of embezzling central bank funds — sentenced to five years in prison — is appointed as the Head of the Expert Council for a body managing $880 billion (Rp14,000 trillion) in state assets. His supervisor? A figure listed as a “finalist for the most corrupt president of 2024” by the OCCRP.

A man who posed with $2,500 liquor, earned a doctorate without attending classes, and was reported for alleged mining permit graft, is now the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources. A celebrity with a fake honorary doctorate is appointed as a Presidential Special Envoy, promptly flaunting his official car and police escort on YouTube while laughing off criticism.

The cabinet is a “Who’s Who” of legal red flags. Figures investigated for palm oil export scandals, nickel corruption, forest conversion bribes, and migrant worker exploitation are not only free — they are Coordinating Ministers. A man suspected of backing illegal online gambling now manages cooperatives. A figure investigated in the massive 4G base station (BTS) graft case is now the Minister of Youth and Sports.

And amidst this gallery of suspects, the President delivers a booming speech: “I will chase corruptors to Antarctica!”

I honestly don’t know whether to laugh… or cry.