Savero Aristia Wienanto, Jakarta – The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has announced that the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo or Jokowi, has been nominated as a finalist for the 2024 Organized Crime and Corruption Figure.
This recognition places Jokowi among five other prominent individuals who were selected through a global nomination process. The other finalists include Kenyan President William Ruto, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina, and Indian businessman Gautam Adani.
"We asked for nominations from readers, journalists, the Person of the Year judges, and others in the OCCRP global network," stated the OCCRP on its official website on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
Kenyan President William Ruto received the highest number of nominations for the 2024 Organized Crime and Corruption Figure. Over 40,000 individuals submitted letters nominating President Ruto for this distinction.
OCCRP Publisher Drew Sullivan said corruption is a fundamental part of capturing states and making autocratic governments powerful.
"These corrupt governments violate human rights, manipulate elections, plunder natural resources, and ultimately create conflict from their inherent instability. Their only future is violent collapse or bloody revolution," said Sullivan.
The People's Tribunal: Indictments against the Jokowi regime
On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, the Extraordinary People's Court convened a People's Tribunal at Wisma Makara, University of Indonesia (UI), Depok, West Java, to bring the Jokowi government to justice. The tribunal focused on what is referred to as the "nine sins" or "Nawadosa" of the Jokowi regime.
The first indictment addressed the confiscation of living space and the exclusion of society. This included a critique of various government policies, such as national strategic projects, the Job Creation Law, nickel downstream, and food estates, which were deemed detrimental to the well-being of the people.
The second indictment focused on violence, persecution, criminalization, and discrimination. The plaintiffs presented evidence of numerous instances of violence that occurred during various civil demonstrations.
The third indictment addressed the politics of impunity and crimes against humanity. The tribunal argued that the Jokowi administration demonstrated a lack of seriousness in addressing various cases of gross human rights violations.
The fourth indictment focused on the commercialization, standardization, and subordination of the national education system. The plaintiffs highlighted the controversial issue of high tuition fees and the implementation of the State University as a Legal Entity status, which was argued to have led to increased tuition costs.
The fifth indictment concerned corruption, collusion, and nepotism, as well as the government's failure to adequately address these issues. The plaintiffs emphasized the revision of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law during Jokowi's tenure, which weakened the anti-corruption body. Furthermore, accusations of normalized collusion and nepotism during the 2024 Presidential Election were also presented.
The sixth indictment addressed the exploitation of natural resources and the government's inadequate response to the climate crisis. The plaintiffs argued that mining permits were granted without sufficient oversight and that the state failed to effectively distribute the profits from resource extraction to the people.
The seventh indictment focused on oppressive labor policies, specifically citing the ratification of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation during Jokowi's tenure.
The eighth indictment addressed legislative hijacking, arguing that the Jokowi government failed to enact regulations that served the public interest.
The ninth and final indictment focused on militarism and militarization. The plaintiffs argued that the Jokowi regime attempted to reintegrate the military into civilian spheres. As an example, they cited the revision of the State Civil Apparatus Law, which allows for the appointment of military soldiers and police members to certain civil service positions.
– Daniel A. Fajri contributed to the writing of this article.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1958698/indonesias-jokowi-shortlisted-for-corrupt-person-of-the-yea