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Don't flaunt your wealth on Instagram, Jokowi tells government officials
In a speech delivered at the Presidential Palace on Thursday evening, President Jokowi called on all Cabinet ministers and government agencies to enforce discipline among their ranks and urged the National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to investigate possible wrongdoing in how officials had obtained their wealth.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo wipes his eye during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok on Nov. 18, 2022. (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)
I
n his first public statement on the uproar over the lavish lifestyles of some tax officials, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has urged civil servants to lead modest lives and refrain from showing off their wealth, especially on social media.
In a speech delivered at the Presidential Palace on Thursday evening, President Jokowi also called on all Cabinet ministers and government agencies to enforce discipline among their ranks and urged the National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to investigate possible wrongdoing in how officials had obtained their wealth.
"I want us and everyone below us to stress this. Don't show off your power. Don't show off your wealth, especially by posting [indications of it] on Instagram and other social media platforms. For members of the bureaucracy, this is really improper," President Jokowi said.
Earlier in his speech, Jokowi said he could understand the public's anger toward extravagant civil servants, as well as toward members of the police and Indonesian Military (TNI) who some felt were arrogant and insensitive.
"I’ve followed the developments very closely both on social media and on the ground [...]. I can sense there's big disappointment, and the people are right about this. The service is subpar while the officials are arrogant," Jokowi said.
The President's remarks on Thursday were his first comments on the crisis currently engulfing the Finance Ministry after an assault case in South Jakarta opened a pandora’s box of irregularities involving the behavior of officials from the Taxation Directorate General.
The increased scrutiny on tax officials comes after Mario Dandy Satrio, son of tax official Rafael Alun Trisambodo, was arrested last week after allegedly assaulting a minor.
