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View all search resultsNadiem case deters young Indonesians overseas from returning
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Nadiem Makarim, former education minister and cofounder of ride-hailing firm Gojek, speaks with his legal team during a hearing on May 13 at the Jakarta Corruption Court, over alleged corruption related to the procurement of Google Chromebook laptops. Prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) are seeking an 18-year prison sentence, Rp 5.6 trillion in restitution to the state and a Rp 1 billion fine, alleging that Nadiem manipulated the procurement process and enriched himself during his tenure as education minister. (Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat)
T
he prosecution of former education minister Nadiem Makarim, an Ivy League graduate who left Indonesia’s first unicorn start-up Gojek, which he cofounded, to serve in government, is fueling unease among young Indonesians overseas who now question whether returning home is worth the risk.
For some, the case has deepened anxieties over whether talented and highly-educated professionals can safely contribute to the country without being entangled in what they see as an unpredictable legal and political system.
“Nadiem’s case showed intelligent people with integrity being harmed [by the state]. It honestly makes me afraid to come home and contribute because the bureaucracy is still bad and there are still many corrupt practices,” Andari, a 27-year-old Indonesian graduate student in Melbourne who asked to use a pseudonym, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
“It does make me wonder, if I go back home, would the government support me?” she added.
Similarly, 30-year-old graduate student Petir, who also requested a pseudonym, said Nadiem’s trial had diminished his interest in contributing through government institutions despite previously considering a long-term public service career.
Read also: Outcry as prosecutors seek 18-year sentence for Nadiem
Petir, a civil servant at a ministry, said he had witnessed how office politics often prioritized “seeking superiors’ approval” over merit for promotions and prestige.
