We’re not saying all politicians abuse their power, but surely some are in the game so they can enjoy the perks that come with being a VIP.
For example, many people are accusing Administrative and Bureaucratic Reforms (Kemenpan RB) Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi of abusing his powers after a letter from his ministry got leaked online yesterday.
The letter, which was addressed to the Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, appears to request that the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney provide transportation and accommodation for Wahyu Dewanto and his family, which was listed as including two women and three children, for their Sydney trip from March 24 to April 2.
Wahyu Dewanto is a member of the Jakarta City Council from the Hanura political party. Minister Yuddy is also from Hanura and is reported to be a friend of Wahyu’s.
While the letter didn’t specify if Wahyu’s trip to Australia is for business or leisure, it does appear that it’s for the latter (why else would he bring his kids along?), as confirmed by the head of the Hanura faction in the Jakarta City Council, Mohamad Sangaji.
“He (Wahyu) asked for permission from me, because he hadn’t gone on holiday with his wife and kids for a long time. So it’s a personal trip, some kind of vacation,” Mohamad said, as quoted by Kompas yesterday.
However, Yuddy’s ministry denied that the minister wrote the letter and that Yuddy’s personal secretary, Reza Fahlevi, filed the letter to the ministry’s secretary for approval without the minister’s knowledge.
“Without confirming with [the minister], the Kemenpan RB secretary (Dwi Wahyu Atmaji) signed the letter,” wrote Herman Suryatman, head of the Law, Communications and Public Information Bureau at Kemenpan RB.
The Foreign Ministry, while never disputing the authenticity of the letter, said they did not give instructions to the Indonesian Consulate in Sydney to facilitate Wahyu’s family holiday.
If the letter is to be believed, Wahyu and his family are currently in Australia and will leave the land down under tomorrow. If they are returning straight to Indonesia, they can expect to arrive to a barrage of questions from the media.
Obviously everyone involved here is distancing themselves from the scandal. But if we can take anything from this episode, it’s that, thanks to technology and the power of social media that makes leaks like this spread like wildfire, politicians at least have to be on their toes whenever they think about misusing our tax money.
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