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Political SOE appointments raise eyebrows
Several relatives of Jokowi were included in the appointments, drawing public attention and raising questions about their fitness for the jobs and the persistence of nepotism in Indonesian democracy.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo briefs the audience at the opening of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Start-up Day 2022 on Sept. 26, 2022, at Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) BSD City in Tangerang, Banten. (Press and Media Bureau, Presidential Secretariat/Muchlis Jr.)
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series of figures close to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto have been appointed to top posts at state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in recent weeks, sparking criticism that the outgoing leader is seeking to reward his loyalists and that administration officials are seeking to win favors from the president-elect.
Several relatives of Jokowi were included in the appointments, drawing public attention and raising questions about their fitness for the jobs and the persistence of nepotism in Indonesian democracy.
These concerns come as several SOEs, particularly in the construction sector, are mired in financial difficulties.
Among the new appointees is Bagaskara Ikhlasulla Arif, Jokowi’s nephew, who has been named nongovernment relations manager at state-owned energy giant Pertamina. While the appointment reportedly happened in March, Bagaskara grabbed public attention only recently after his profile on job-searching platform LinkedIn went viral on social media.
Joining Bagaskara is Joko Priyambodo, Jokowi’s nephew-in-law, who was appointed in May as director of marketing and operations at PT Patra Logistik, a subsidiary of Pertamina Patra Niaga, the commercial arm of Pertamina.
Amid mounting public scrutiny of the appointments, Pertamina and PT Patra Logistik said both Bagaskara and Joko, who had worked for their respective companies since 2021 and 2016, were professional hires and were qualified for their new positions.
Read also: Jokowi’s nephew in spotlight for serving as Pertamina manager
