March 19, 2025
JAKARTA – Nepotism, as well as corruption and collusion, has proven to be deeply rooted in our society, with even the reforms in 1998 unable to eradicate it. The practice seemed to rear its ugly head when Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni appointed his fellow Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI) members to the Operation Management Office (OMO) Indonesia Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030.
The minister has claimed that his decision bears no consequences to the state budget as foreign donors cover the operational costs of the office, including the monthly salaries of its staff, which range from Rp 8 million (US$487.80) to Rp 50 million. But the recruitment of the PSI members for the jobs, which lacked transparency, could stand between Indonesia and its goal of meeting net zero emissions in the forestry sector. The reason? The politicians have no track record, let alone ability, to deal with forestry and other land use issues.
Worse, the PSI members received the jobs without having to struggle, while the government postponed the start date of 1.2 million new civil servants and government contract employees to October of this year and March of next year, respectively.
Once deemed as a progressive party that impressed millennials and the younger generation of Indonesian voters, the PSI has become associated with nepotism since it unanimously elected Kaesang Pangarep as its new chairman in 2023, just three days after the youngest son of then-president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo joined the party.
Kaesang failed to lead the party to the House of Representatives for the first time as expected, but it at least can taste power after supporting Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is Kaesang’s elder brother, in the 2024 presidential race.
Gibran’s nomination is perhaps the most blatant manifestation of nepotism in the country’s history. He qualified for the race after the Constitutional Court, led by his uncle Anwar Usman, changed the age limits for presidential and vice presidential candidates. An ethics council found Anwar guilty of gross violation of the code of ethics, but the court ruling stood.
Indonesian politics in particular is infested with nepotistic practices. You are eligible to contest the legislative elections or regional elections simply because you are nephews, cousins, relatives or close confidants of political bigwigs. All political parties, both in the ruling coalition and the opposition, cannot resist the temptation of nepotism.
Even the cabinet of President Prabowo Subianto cannot be said to be immune from nepotism with the appointment of his nephew, Thomas Djiwandono, as deputy finance minister. Such a perception will be further confirmed if Thomas takes over the Finance Ministry’s top post, now that speculation of Sri Mulyani Indrawati’s resignation as finance minister has spread.
In a broader landscape, certain politicians intentionally build their own political dynasties just to cling to power as long as possible. The fact that most ordinary people do not bother with nepotism and political dynasties only reflects the country’s low level of democracy.
It’s safe to say that nepotism has been normalized in the country, at the expense of meritocracy that characterizes most, if not all, developed nations. In fact, a nation progresses because it values the merit system in which the right jobs go to the right persons.
Our lawmakers passed Law No. 28/1999 on clean government and governance free from corruption, collusion and nepotism with the noble aim of dismantling all the practices that put Indonesia on the brink of a failed state following the multidimensional crises of 1997-1998. We cannot afford to repeat that dark episode of our history.
Like corruption and collusion, nepotism is a serious threat to our quest for a wealthy and just nation, which President Prabowo vows to help realize in 2045 through his programs and policies. Nepotism will prevent us from selecting the cream of the crop that can make such a dream come true.