Support for Nadiem Makarim at Chromebook Corruption Trial Criticised as Misdirected
Jakarta — The presence of distinctive green jackets worn by ride-hailing drivers at the corruption trial of former Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim at Jakarta’s Corruption Court (Tipikor) has drawn scrutiny.
Public policy observer Yanuar Winarko characterised the support shown by some driver communities for Nadiem as a misdirected, ironic, and unproductive step for the drivers’ own welfare efforts.
Nadiem is currently facing charges requesting an 18-year prison sentence for alleged corruption in the 2020-2022 Chromebook procurement programme, which is claimed to have caused state losses exceeding one trillion rupiah.
According to Winarko, the solidarity built by drivers to support Nadiem reflects a “psychological and social paradox”. This is because the drivers themselves have historically occupied the most vulnerable position within the ride-hailing platform partnership system.
“It is deeply ironic when drivers who toil on the streets each day are mobilising sympathy for someone facing corruption charges worth one trillion rupiah. Yet, over the years, the relationship between the corporation founded by Nadiem and the drivers has never truly reflected a healthy partnership,” he stated on Saturday, 23 May 2026.
He explained that ride-hailing drivers have continually borne nearly all operational costs themselves, including vehicle purchase and maintenance, fuel, mobile phones, and internet data.
“There are hardly any protective measures or genuine subsidies from the ride-hailing platform that meaningfully reduce their daily operational burdens. They are workers labelled as ‘partners’ so that corporations can evade standard labour regulation obligations,” he said.
Winarko also criticised the Chromebook procurement policy during Nadiem’s tenure, which he argued opened the door to domination by foreign technology companies in the national education sector.
According to him, the use of Chromebooks in schools made Chrome Device Management (CDM) licensing a mandatory requirement, ultimately benefiting global technology corporations such as Google.
“When the Chromebook ecosystem was forced into schools, CDM licensing necessarily had to be used. The result is that enormous profits flowed to foreign corporations, whilst national education data became highly dependent on their systems,” he stated.
Additionally, Winarko criticised the direction of education policy during Nadiem’s era, which he argued neglected the foundation of students’ basic capabilities.