Nadiem admits to being an amateur in politics
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for the 2019-2024 period, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, admitted to being an amateur in the field of politics while reading his plea (pleidoi) during a session at the Corruption Court in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.
He stated that during his tenure as minister, he frequently declined various event invitations if they were not directly related to his programmes, which caused offence to many parties. “I also failed to pay sufficient respects to various figures because I did not understand the intricacies of the political landscape. This was my mistake while serving as minister,” Nadiem said.
He admitted to forgetting that a ministerial position is a political office, where maintaining good relations across institutions and organisations must be a priority. In various meetings, Nadiem often bypassed initial pleasantries because he wanted to get to the material as quickly as possible, which appeared impolite. He also admitted to being “stingy with time” regarding the media, as he felt it was more important to produce real work rather than merely “appearing” to work.
While such behaviours are valued in the professional world, he noted that in government, these actions created perceptions of arrogance and a lack of culture and politeness. “I was so persistent in implementing rapid transformations that I failed to embrace older parties in those efforts of change,” he revealed. Consequently, Nadiem felt he had underestimated political rituals, which are essential for ensuring sustainable change through broad support. He advised the next generation considering public service to find a balance between professionalism and political etiquette, noting that “small frictions can become great grudges.”
Nadiem read his plea as one of the defendants in a corruption case involving the education digitalisation programme, specifically the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome Device Management (CDM) within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology between 2019 and 2022. Previously, he was facing a prison sentence of 18 years, a fine of Rp1 billion (subsidised by 190 days in prison), and restitution of Rp5.67 trillion (subsidised by 9 years in prison).
In this case, Nadiem is accused of corruption causing state losses of Rp2.18 trillion. The corruption allegedly involved the procurement of ICT-based learning tools for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years, which did not comply with procurement planning and principles. The founder of one of the technology companies is accused of acting in concert with three other defendants in separate trials, namely Ibrahim Arief (alias Ibam), Mulyatsyah, and Sri Wahyuningsih, as well as Jurist Tan, who remains a fugitive.
Specifically, the state losses include Rp1.56 trillion related to the education digitalisation programme, as well as 44.05 million US dollars (equivalent to Rp621.39 billion) due to the procurement of unnecessary and unbeneficial CDM. Nadiem is alleged to have received Rp809.59 billion from PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (PT AKAB) via PT Gojek Indonesia. It was noted that much of PT AKAB’s funding originated from a 786.99 million US dollar investment from Google. This was reflected in Nadierm’s 2022 wealth report (LHKPN), which showed securities valued at Rp5.59 trillion. For his actions, Nadiem faces charges under the Law on the Eradication of Corruption Crimes.