TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - On May 18, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) named Lin Che Wei as a new suspect over allegations of corruption in the export of crude palm oil (CPO). Although he is not a bureaucrat, there are indications that this finance expert played a role in the granting of CPO export permits to three major oil palm companies whose managers were previously named as suspects. Exports of CPO that ignore the domestic market requirement are believed to be the reason for the cooking oils shortages since the end of last year.
Che Wei is not a government official with the authority to grant export permits, but it seems that the AGO has evidence that he played a major role in the management of CPO exports, particularly regarding who obtained export permits and which businesses did not. If this is true, how was he able to gain so much power. What was Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi doing?
We met with a number of sources to seek answers to these questions. If the AGO’s accusations are true, Che Wei is an individual right at the center of conflicts of interest. Because according to the AGO, as a consultant, he received payments from palm oil companies. Everybody knows that conflicts of interest open the door to corruption.
Lin Che Wei’s influence over, if not control of, public policy sets a bad precedent for good governance. It is in the nature of our government to doubt the abilities of bureaucrats that are not as businesslike as ‘private sector’ experts like Che Wei. Bureaucracy makes them work in a way that is inflexible, sluggish and procedural. People like Che Wei come along to speed things up.
Ward Berenschot, a political anthropologist from Leiden in the Netherlands refers to this as informality. Che Wei is an informal figure in public policy and plays a significant role. If this is true, it will not be easy for Indonesia to escape from this political trap that hampers efforts to bring about a prosperous nation.
Given the importance of this issue, we made it our cover story for this week. We investigated the role of two people in the cooking oil conundrum to try to prove the AGO’s accusations: Lin Che Wei and Muhammad Lutfi. Why is the AGO aggressively pursuing Che Wei but has not gone near Lutfi? What evidence has the AGO collected in order to crack this case?
Enjoy the magazine.
Mustafa Silalahi
Main Editor
Cooking Oil at the Minister’s House
What role did Lin Che Wei actually play in the cooking oil disarray?
The Fall of the Peacock
Who is Lin Che Wei? Why does he have so much influence on public policy?
Interview with a Relative of Che Wei
Since being locked up in the AGO detention center, Lin Che Wei has not been allowed visitors. His older sister has provided a clarification about the role of her younger brother in the cooking oil affair.
CPO Games in Bonded Zones
The investigation into CPO exports has now spread wider. There are allegations of illegal exports through bonded zones. How was this done?
OPINION: Cooking Oil Chaos
Is it good to have informal people involved in public policy when the bureaucracy moves too slowly.
Other stories:
Hoping for Endemic Status after the Idul Fitri
What will determine whether Covid-19 has reached endemic status?
Relaxed Covid Protocols
Will other nations adopt an endemic policy like Saudi Arabia? At present visitors, and maybe later Haj pilgrims, do not need to wear masks.
OPINION: Preparing for Future Pandemic
The pandemic is not yet over. What policies should the government implement when the caseload continues to fall?
