Indonesian President’s Son Defends Private Jet Use to Anti-Corruption Agency

The son of Indonesia’s outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited the country's anti-corruption agency on September 17 to explain his recent use of a private jet, an act that generated a heated controversy last month.

Kaesang Pangarep, 29, flew to the United States on August 18, as protests erupted on the streets of Indonesia’s major cities against proposed changes to election laws, including a change to minimum age requirements that would have allowed him to run for office at regional elections in November.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with officials at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta, Kaesang denied all allegations of misconduct, Bloomberg reported. He said that he had initially planned to take a commercial flight to the United States, but then decided to “hitchhike” on a friend’s jet. He added, “I came here not because of an invitation, or being summoned but of my own initiative.”

Kaesang did not provide further details about the identity of the aircraft’s owner, but online sleuths claim that the jet was a Gulfstream GVI G650ER owned by Singaporean tech tycoon Gang Ye, the co-founder and chief operating officer of Sea Ltd. The firm’s e-commerce platform Shopee has reportedly invested in the city of Surakarta, where Kaesang’s elder brother, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was previously mayor.

If true, the Jakarta Post noted, the use of the jet could fall into the category of unlawful gratuity or trading in influence given Kaesang’s status as Jokowi’s son. (Singaporean officials have been charged with corruption-related offenses for less.)

News of Kaesang’s lavish trip added fuel to the protests against the election law changes, which were eventually successful in forcing parliament to abandon the proposed amendments. This effectively blocked Kaesang from participating in this year’s regional elections.

Jokowi has come under fire for attempting to build a political dynasty to carry on his power after he relinquishes office in late October, when his eldest son, Gibran, will be sworn in as vice president. Gibran, too, was allowed to be a running mate in February’s presidential election only after the Constitutional Court made a controversial ruling that tweaked minimum age requirements.

Kaesang has even less political experience than his brother; he was appointed chairman of the youth-oriented Indonesian Solidarity Party in September 2023, only two days after formally joining the party. He had been mooted as a possible candidate for a number of positions at November’s regional elections, including deputy governor of Central Java.

According to Reuters, Pahala Nainggolan of the KPK said in a statement that the agency would continue to analyze Kaesang’s report over the next 30 days before deciding how to proceed. If he is proven to have improperly received gifts as a son of a state official, he will be required to repay the cost of taking the private jet to his destination.

Whether or not Kaesang has violated anti-corruption laws seems to hinge on whether he can be considered a public official, given that he does not (yet) hold office. But it remains to be seen whether the KPK will ever formally consider the question. After initially announcing that it would summon Kaesang to explain the trip, the KPK then backed down. Kaesang voluntarily appeared at the agency last month, in what he described as a “personal initiative as a good citizen and not because of a written summons.”

The Jakarta Post has reported that the agency is internally divided on whether and how to proceed with a case against Kaesang. On September 24, the agency was reported to have concluded its investigation but had not publicly disclosed the outcome as of publication.

However, all of this is less important than the political impact of the controversy. Details of Kaesang’s trip, particularly Instagram posts by his wife Erina Gudono, prompted outrage on Indonesian social media, highlighting the rarefied privileges available to the political elite in general, and the president’s family in particular. In one particular post, Gudono, a model and one-time Miss Indonesia contestant, complained about the price of a 400,000 rupiah ($25) lobster roll purchased at Grand Central Market in Los Angeles.

Kaesang’s defense of his trip also betrayed a certain tone-deafness that will do little to assuage his critics. After all, how many Indonesians can claim that they have friends with private jets?