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View all search resultsAnalysis: Business gives big thumbs down on Prabowo’s anti-graft drive
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The reflection of motorists is seen in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building sign, in Jakarta, on June 27, 2023. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto may be projecting himself globally and at home as a leader who is tough on corruption, not just in words but also in actions, with several high-profile corruption cases in his first year in office. But the business community is not impressed, and has even given the thumbs down to his overall anti-graft campaign.
This could have serious repercussions on Indonesia as an investment destination, especially compared with some of it Southeast Asian neighbors.
Indonesia’s 2025 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) showed a significant decline, with the score dropping to 34 out 100, down from 37 in 2024. Indonesia ranked 109th out of 180 countries surveyed, down 10 places. It is behind Singapore, Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Vietnam but scored better than Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia.
The CPI asks mostly business executives but also country experts and analysts about their assessment on various aspects of public sector corruption including bribery, kickbacks, embezzlement of public funds, effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts and transparency and accountability of government.
Experts cite narrowing public space, weakening enforcement and the erosion of judicial independence as key factors for Indonesia’s decline.
The 2025 CPI report, published by Transparency International this month, is in sharp contrast to a survey by Indikator Politik that says Prabowo continues to enjoy a high approval rating of 80 percent, thanks mainly to his social programs, including his signature program of providing free lunch to millions of school children nationwide.
Prabowo has repeatedly vowed to get tough on corruptors, getting to the roots of the problem and pledging he would hunt them down all the way to Antarctica.
