Tax Chief Received Black Magic Threats, Mystical Objects Found at DJP Office

Not all government policies are well received by the public, and opposition can sometimes manifest in irrational ways, such as threats of black magic. This was the reality faced by Mar’ie Muhammad when he served as Director General of Taxes at the Directorate General of Taxation (DJP) in 1988. Amid his efforts to reform the institution, the threat of santet, or black magic, became a serious topic of discussion during internal meetings among senior tax officials.

“What was unique, the meeting included discussions on how to prevent black magic,” said Bambang Wiwoho, a tax official who attended the meeting, as quoted in the autobiography Mr. Clean: Mar’ie Muhammad (2025). The discussion arose because during the tenure of the previous Director General, Salamun Alfian Tjakradiwirja, mystical objects such as flowers were found at the DJP office without any known sender. This experience caused concern among officials that similar threats would resurface as Mar’ie began his clean-up of the DJP.

A proposal was subsequently made for the DJP to seek help from a “supernatural expert” to ward off potential black magic attacks against Mar’ie. There was even a desire to request assistance from a member of Mar’ie’s family who hailed from a region known for its strong black magic traditions. However, Mar’ie immediately rejected the suggestion. “Pak Mar’ie’s Islamic faith is strong, so such help was set aside. ‘Just say Bismillah, Sir,’” Bambang recounted, quoting Mar’ie. The tax chief chose to rely on prayer and personal conviction, believing his efforts would succeed without supernatural aid.

The threats did not appear without reason. Mar’ie had just been appointed by Minister of Finance J.B. Sumarlin to boost state revenue from the tax sector following a sharp decline in oil and gas income. President Soeharto had ordered the government to “popularise taxation” so that state revenue would no longer depend on oil and gas. Beyond increasing revenue, Mar’ie was tasked with cleaning up corrupt practices within the DJP, which was known as a “wet field” at the time. This was a difficult assignment, as efforts to collect taxes often faced resistance from both inside and outside the institution.

During his tenure, Mar’ie carried out a major reform of the DJP. One of his most significant steps was changing the tax collection system from one where the government actively pursued taxpayers to a self-assessment system, where citizens calculate, report, and pay their taxes independently. He also restructured the internal workings of the DJP by removing officials with corrupt potential, strengthening the integrity of the apparatus, and building a reputation for honesty among tax officers. The reforms eventually paid off, with public awareness of tax obligations increasing, especially after the government began awarding the largest taxpayers and providing incentives for compliance. Mar’ie’s tenure as Director General of Taxes ended in 1993, and his success in increasing state revenue and overhauling the tax system led to his appointment as Minister of Finance, a position he held from 1993 to 1998.