Indonesia’s pejabat (public officials) may want to consider battening down the hatches amid the unrelenting online witch-hunt of public servants who are allegedly living well above the means of their modest pay.
In case you missed it, an aggravated assault carried out by the son of a Jakarta tax official last week led to intense public scrutiny towards the family’s lavish lifestyle. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani has since been busy warning her employees against leading lives of luxury, and even ordered high-ranking taxmen to disband their ostentatious motorcycle club.
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More recently, the public’s focus has turned from the Tax Directorate General towards the Customs and Excise office in Yogyakarta, particularly its leader Eko Darmanto.
Screenshot of Eko’s Instagram page has gone viral, depicting his penchant for not only luxury large motorcycles, but also classic cars. He also routinely posted photos of him flying a Cessna plane.
It’s not yet known if he actually owns any of the vehicles. His Instagram account is no longer available as of this article’s publication.
The hashtag #BeaCukaiHedon (hedonistic customs and excise office) emerged this morning and has been trending on Twitter, prompting the Ministry of Finance to say that they are looking into Eko’s wealth. The official himself has not issued any statements to the public.
In his 2022 official wealth report (LKHPN), Eko reported that he owns nine cars, but no Cessna or Harley Davidson.
Eko might just be the tip of the iceberg representing the lavish lifestyles of Ministry of Finance employees. As of last week, 43 percent of the ministry’s employees have yet to file their LHKPN for 2023 — though they have until March 31 to do so.
