Indonesia’s Communications and Information Technology Minister Johnny Gerard Plate was arrested on Wednesday by the country’s relevant authorities on corruption charges. The country’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) confirmed the arrest after being summoned for questioning on corruption in the Forge wireless base station project. Bloomberg reported that he may be forced to resign after the incident.
According to the news, the 4G Wireless Base Station project was taken up to provide high – speed telecommunication services across the country. An organization under the Ministry of Plate was spearheading the project. Such incidents are seen as part of President Joko Widodo’s anticorruption campaign. Tolerating corruption will erode public confidence in Widodo It is considered possible.
This is not the first time members of Joko Widodo’s cabinet have been implicated in corruption. The recent $ 20 billion tax evasion case against him led to the removal of the country’s social affairs minister and fisheries minister for alleged involvement in massive corruption.
According to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of Transparency International Bangladesh-TIB, in the year 2022 Indonesia stood 110th out of 180 countries. In 2021, the country’s position was 96th.
Analysts see it as crucial for Joko Widodo to maintain public confidence in a second term ahead of the 2024 election. To retain that confidence, the country is moving its capital to the new city of Kalimantan. Before resigning in 2024, the president of Indonesia wants to advance this big project in the third quarter of this year.