The Track Record of Fadia Arafiq, Who Claimed She Was Unaware of the Rules Due to Her Dangdut Singer Background
Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq has been named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in a case involving alleged procurement irregularities in the Pekalongan Regency government. She argues that she did not know the rules of bureaucracy because of her background as a dangdut musician, but her 15-year political career suggests she is not unfamiliar with governance.
According to detikcom’s investigation on Thursday, 5 March 2026, Fadia began her political career in 2011 as Vice Regent of Pekalongan. She held the post for one term until 2016. The Vice Regency tenure served as a stepping stone for her political career and her experience in managing government bureaucracy. She was later trusted to hold the position of Chairman of the Pekalongan Golkar Regional Leadership Council (DPD Golkar Pekalongan) for the 2016-2021 period.
Her career continued to rise. She was elected Pekalongan Regent for the 2021-2026 period, and her career path remained smooth after she was re-elected as Pekalongan Regent for the 2025-2030 period.
Claim of Not Knowing Bureaucratic Rules Due to Being a Dangdut Artist
Fadia’s 15-year record in politics should have made her not “blind” to bureaucratic matters. Yet her claim of not knowing the rules of government became her excuse for dodging alleged corruption.
“In the intensive examination, FAR explained that she has a background as a musician; she is not a bureaucrat. This is what sister FAR stated, and thus she does not understand law and the governance of local government,” said Asep Guntur Rahayu, KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Prosecution, at a press conference at the KPK building in South Jakarta on Wednesday (4 March).
To the KPK, Fadia also argued that the governance affairs in Pekalongan Regency were handed to the regional secretary (Sekda). As regent, she said she mostly dealt with ceremonial matters.
“FAR admitted that the technical bureaucratic affairs were delegated to the regional secretary (Sekda), while she focused more on ceremonial functions within Pekalongan Regency,” he said.
Fadia may claim not to know the rules for civil servants, but KPK investigations reveal that the regent actively and deliberately engaged in procurement projects in Pekalongan by pressuring her family’s company to win tenders, even after the secretary warned of potential corruption.
“The regional secretary and several other parties repeatedly reminded the regent about potential conflicts of interest in the procurement,” said Asep.
Asep said she did not heed the warnings from her subordinates. She persisted in using her family’s company to execute procurement projects for Pekalongan Regency.
“Nevertheless, that practice continued by the regent,” he stated.
A year into her tenure, her son and husband founded a company named PT Raja Nusantara Berjaya (RNB). Fadia became the beneficial owner of the company. The firm also housed her campaign team. She urged regional officials to award contracts to that company.
KPK noted that PT RNB received outsourcing projects across 17 regional devices, 3 regional hospitals, and 1 district in 2025. Asep said PT RNB obtained around Rp 46 billion in contracts with Pekalongan Regency from 2023-2026.
Fadia has now been named a suspect and detained by the KPK. She faces charges under Article 12 letter i and Article 12 B of the Law on the Eradication of Corruption, in conjunction with Article 127 paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Indonesian Penal Code.