Southeast #12: In Indonesia, flying too close burns
How Nadiem Makarim became collateral damage.
If things couldn’t get any stranger in Corporate Malaysia, this is among the weirdest.
Five months ago, Bursa-listed construction giants IJM and Sunway were supposedly in potential merger talks per news portal Scoop.
Both firms shut down the rumours, claiming no such thing existed.
Fast forward to yesterday: Sunway is now proposing to take over IJM. In Malaysia, things move at warp speed when they want to.
We have the first Southeast of the year. Since this section has been running for a while, I’d like your input:
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Over the past week, the region’s most contentious story has been the corruption trial of former Indonesian education minister Nadiem Makarim, the Gojek co-founder turned Jokowi-era appointee.
Prosecutors claim he received kickbacks worth US$48 million tied to a US$125 million procurement deal for Google Chromebooks and servers for schools between 2019-2022.
Critics charge that the entire saga reeks of selective enforcement in a country where graft is endemic.
The trial kicked off on January 5 at Jakarta’s Corruption Court, where Nadiem’s defence filed objections that the court rejected, paving the way for a drawn-out battle.
Google itself has disputed prosecutors’ claims of collusion in overpricing or irregularities, calling the case’s foundation shaky at best.
Many have posted messages of support for Nadiem, especially in VC and tech circles given his role in building Gojek into a decacorn before pivoting to public service.
Supporters frame this as a witch hunt. Nadiem’s team has released a so-called white book detailing his side, insisting facts and data will dismantle the accusations.
But in Indonesia’s opaque justice system, that’s a tall order.