Institutions Breed Mafia

People with capital now dictate the ruler. To become a regent or governor, candidates require tens to hundreds of billion rupiah while it takes trillions of rupiah to become a president.

KOMPAS/DIDIE SW

.

President Joko Widodo’s statement that “Mafias are everywhere, everywhere is mafia” rings true. It is a real condition that persists.

The reality is inseparable from the situation during the New Order, when big businesspeople were groomed and received privilege, facilities and protection from the state. Quickly, as the backbone of the national economy, they grew to become conglomerates.