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Analysis: Kaesang’s jet saga sheds light on KPK’s incompetence
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Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) chairman Kaesang Pangarep (left) and his wife Erina Gudono (right) pose during a campaign rally for the 2024 general election in Malang, East Java, on Feb. 1, 2024. (Antara/Irfan Sumanjaya) (Antara/Irfan Sumanjaya)
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fter days of back and forth, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has dropped plans to question President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s youngest son Kaesang Pangarep to clarify the details regarding his lavish private jet trip to the United States, despite mounting public pressure to investigate. This decision further shows the KPK’s lack of seriousness and efforts to combat corruption without discrimination.
Last month, while the nation was infuriated over the House of Representatives’ efforts to annul the Constitutional Court’s decision in a speedy revision of the Regional Elections Law, Kaesang and his pregnant wife Erina Gudono triggered public anger for flexing their trip to the US aboard a private jet on social media.
Netizens have since accused the couple’s flight aboard the private jet as being provided by Singaporean tech tycoon Gang Ye, which could fall into the category of unlawful gratuity or trading in influence given Kaesang’s status as the President’s son.
Netizens found that the Gulfstream GVI G650ER jet carrying Kaesang and Erina is owned by Garena Online (Pvt) Ltd., a game developer under Sea Limited, which is Shopee's parent company. Gang Ye visited Surakarta, Central Java, the First Family’s hometown, in February 2022 to discuss the Java in Paris event, organized by then-mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son.
The uproar over Kaesang’s private jet has apparently led one Indonesian-born Singaporean, Septian Hartono, to file a report against Garena with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
At home, the KPK has shifted its approach to investigating Kaesang. Initially planning to summon the chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) for clarification on the alleged gratuity, the KPK has canceled the plan. The case has been transferred from the Directorate of Gratuities to the Directorate of Public Complaint Services (PLPM).
Many have defended Kaesang against these allegations. Information and Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said that Kaesang’s use of the private jet was to protect his pregnant wife from the laborious process of international travel in a commercial airline. He also stated that Kaesang should not be investigated, as the private jet is not a gratuity since Kaesang is not a public official.
