Over the past 20 years, eight active and former ministers have been found guilty of graft and only two have no links with political parties. During the term of then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2004-2014, three active ministers, two from his own Democratic Party, were arrested by the KPK and later convicted. The KPK brought to justice two more active ministers from the Golkar Party and National Awakening Party during the first term of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, and Gerindra Party politician Edhy looks set to join the list.

KPK investigators arrested Edhy, his wife and a number of high-ranking officials upon their arrival early on Wednesday at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Edhy and his entourage had visited the United States, where he forged cooperation on sustainable lobster development with Honolulu-based research center Oceanic Institute.

KPK deputy chief Nurul Ghufron said the graft case that reportedly entangled Edhy was related to the exports of lobster larvae, which was banned during the term of his predecessor, Susi Pudjiastuti, due to sustainability concerns.

Soon after taking office in October last year, Edhy announced a plan to resume larvae exports, citing high demand, particularly from Vietnam. In his defense, he said the exports would “make lobster breeders smile” after years of government restrictions.

But a report by Tempo magazine last July discovered that the licenses to export the commodity had gone to his cronies and friends, including politicians from Gerindra and other parties. According to the report, a number of exporting companies had been founded just two months before Edhy signed a regulation that reinstated lobster larvae exports in May of this year.

Lobster farmers, however, have not enjoyed the export boom, according to Tempo, as the exporting companies bought the larvae from them at only a 10^th of the export price.

Whether the KPK investigation will corroborate the report’s findings, the public has long cast doubts over the sincerity of power-sharing, which lays the foundation of the Cabinet’s formation. Calls mounted last year for Jokowi to appoint professionals as ministers rather than give them positions to political parties, given that he had nothing to lose in his second and final term in office.

It turned out that Jokowi wanted a bigger coalition and welcomed his contender, Prabowo Subianto and his Gerindra Party, aboard as he needed formidable support to realize his big agendas — including the omnibus law on job creation and the capital’s relocation — as his signature legacy.

On the other hand, political parties need capital ahead of the 2024 election, where everybody has an equal and fair chance.

The arrest of his minister is a slap in the face for Jokowi and a major blow to his vow of running a clean government.