Analyst Says Negative Issues Targeting Minister Dody Are a Counter-Attack

Public policy analyst Trubus Rahardiansyah assesses that the recent spate of negative issues targeting Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo is likely a counter-attack from groups whose interests have been disrupted. Trubus observed that the news coverage regarding Dody has appeared massively and is sometimes mixed with unverified information, strengthening the suspicion of resistance to the ministry’s reform policies. “Looking at the massive coverage and the disinformation involved, the indication of a counter-attack is very strong,” Trubus said in Jakarta on Wednesday (5/8). Various issues recently linked to Dody include plans for an overseas official trip, the use of an aircraft alleged to be a private jet, and employee transfers. Dody and the Public Works Ministry have issued denials and clarifications regarding these accusations. According to Trubus, the attacks potentially originate from parties who have long profited freely from infrastructure projects. Their room for manoeuvre is perceived to be narrowing after Dody tightened supervision and rotated several officials. “They have been struggling with Mr Dody because those who usually play in the realm of infrastructure projects cannot move freely,” he stated. However, the allegation of a counter-attack still needs to be proven. There is no official finding showing that all the issues against Dody were orchestrated by the same network or group. The suspicion is linked to Dody’s steps to improve discipline and overhaul the structure of officials and employees. One issue of concern is the indication of employee involvement in online gambling transactions based on data from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK). “Mr Dody received a report from PPATK that around 3,000 employees are indicated to be involved in online gambling. This means there must be serious internal reform within the Public Works Ministry, perhaps from echelon one down to the heads of departments,” he stressed. Trubus believes the overhaul must reach officials who have held certain positions for a long time. Rotation is considered important to break the chain of interests that potentially forms when someone controls a position or work area for too long. “There are officials who haven’t been rotated for a long time. Mr Dody is dealing with officials left over from the previous minister. So, yes, there is a kind of political war happening there,” he said. He cited the example of issues emerging in the Jakarta-Cikampek II Elevated Toll Road project, known as the MBZ Toll Road. Trubus assessed that alleged irregularities in such infrastructure projects must be prevented from recurring under Dody’s leadership. Trubus reminded that bureaucratic reform cannot rely solely on the minister’s authority. He suggested Dody needs to form a special team to thoroughly investigate alleged irregularities down to the lowest work units. “Because as a minister, he must form a special team to uncover everything. It must be based on evidence,” Trubus explained. The team is necessary so that rotations and actions against employees are not based on mere suspicion. Every decision must be grounded in examination results, performance evaluations, and accountable evidence. The formation of a special team could also be used to trace procurement and project execution patterns, including recurring tender winners, inter-company relationships, subcontractor use, contract value changes, and work quality compliance. Trubus assessed that infrastructure mafias usually do not work alone. They maintain influence through networks involving officials, contractors, consultants, project brokers, and political power. “They take shelter behind this. These mafias are essentially political mafias too. They might have links to certain political parties,” he revealed. According to Trubus, these networks can enter from the project planning stage, with indications visible from the rapid deterioration of building quality despite recent use. However, the existence of an infrastructure mafia must still be proven through examination of procurement documents, fund flows, inter-company relationships, and the involvement of officials with authority over projects. Trubus believes a clean-up of the Public Works Ministry can be carried out provided there is strong political will. “This depends on political will. If there is a desire to resolve it, a clean-up can be done. It’s just a matter of whether Mr Dody wants to solve this,” he said. He assessed that President Prabowo Subianto’s support is crucial so that the overhaul does not stop when facing pressure from interest groups. As an aide to the president, Dody is believed to have conveyed the ministry’s internal issues to Prabowo. “The President should support that. A minister is the President’s aide. So, he should have already received support. The question of whether it needs to be open, of course not, because the President can simply entrust it to his minister,” Trubus concluded.