Finance Minister Mar'ie Muhammad Forbade His Children from Becoming Civil Servants

Many parents hope their children will become civil servants, as the job is considered stable and secure. However, a different view came from the New Order era’s Minister of Finance, Mar’ie Muhammad. Mar’ie actually hoped that none of his children would follow in his footsteps to become a civil servant. The message was conveyed to his family after his children completed their education. “He said, ‘Later, when you graduate, I pray that none of Papa’s descendants become civil servants. I ask you, do not become a civil servant.’ That was his only request. I heard it right in front of me,” recalled his wife, Etty Muhammad, as quoted from the autobiography titled Mr. Clean Mar’ie Muhammad (2025). The message puzzled his children. One of them even questioned the reason their father forbade them from becoming civil servants, especially since Mar’ie himself spent most of his career as a state apparatus until he was trusted with the position of Minister of Finance. “Why, Ma, Pa, can’t we become civil servants?” asked his child. Upon hearing that question, Mar’ie only gave a short answer. “Never mind, you wouldn’t understand the temptations there,” he replied. According to Etty, the father then suggested his children pursue careers in other fields, including becoming entrepreneurs. “You can work in other sectors, for instance, start your own business,” said Mar’ie. The statement reflects Mar’ie’s long experience within the bureaucratic environment. During the New Order era, corrupt practices and illegal levies were still serious problems in various government agencies. It was this temptation that apparently made Mar’ie not want his children to take the same career path. A depiction of the bureaucratic conditions at that time was once recounted by Mar’ie’s predecessor, Minister of Finance for the 1988-1993 period, J.B. Sumarlin. In his autobiography J.B. Sumarlin: Cabe Rawit yang Lahir di Sawah (2012), he revealed that illegal levies had become deeply rooted in public services. Applicants often had to spend money multiple times just to take care of a single matter. On that basis, Sumarlin frequently conducted impromptu inspections of various government agencies. On several occasions, he even went undercover to directly check services in the field. Employees proven to have committed violations or illegal levies did not escape sanctions. These steps made Sumarlin known as one of the officials who dared to fight corruption and illegal levies within the bureaucracy. His efforts to improve governance also led him to receive the award for Asia’s Best Minister of Finance in 1989. Amidst a bureaucratic condition full of temptation, Mar’ie Muhammad apparently chose a different path for his family. Although he himself had a career as a civil servant until reaching the top position, he hoped his children would make a living outside the world of bureaucracy.