Around the end of February 2023, a bullying video suddenly became viral on social media. Not long after, the South Jakarta Metro Police Station arrested a man named Mario Dandy as the suspect in a bullying case toward David. Mario Dandy was suspected as the main actor in that video.
Following up on the bullying case, netizens worked fast to find out about Mario Dandy and his family. It was later reported that Mario’s father owned an unreasonable amount of assets, from houses, expensive cars, and more. His lavish lifestyle ended up bringing his career fall to the doom and more internal inspection were conducted to find out civil servants under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia (MoF of Indonesia) with the unreasonable amount of riches.
Mario Dandy’s bullying action toward David was a fatal big blow to the reputation of the MoF of Indonesia. His action resulted in more and more members of the MoF of Indonesia being inspected. Public opinion has been against them since then. The recent announcement from Mahfud MD, Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs stated that there are total IDR 300 trillion of ‘suspicious transactions’ inside the MoF of Indonesia.
The case make MoF become a place for “The Crazy Showoff of Indonesia”. Nearly 10 percent of total Indonesia’s population live below the poverty line. During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions lost their livelihoods and now depend on government support. With all these showoffs, it is fair to raise the questions, “does the MoF of Indonesia on the side of the people? Do they work for the people? And Do they really care about the well-being of the people through their financial initiatives?”
On the other hand, the case also might present an opportunity for Sri Mulyani as the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia. It’s time for Sri Mulyani to show her ambition to eradicate corruption from the ministry.
Depending on how big her determination, her future actions, and how she will gain back the trust of the public, Sri Mulyani might gain positive support, unlike the ministry she leads. It is possible for her to receive a different public opinion from the MoF of Indonesia.
Another actor who might be presented with a good opportunity from this event is the National Police of Indonesia. After many big cases that slam the organization from Ferdy Sambo, Kanjuruhan Tragedy, and the currently ongoing Teddy Minahasa case, the police need a big and loud achievement to recover their reputation and trust.
Mario Dandy’s case and other MoF of Indonesia’s members with an unreasonable amount of assets have shifted the media highlight from the Police to MoF of Indonesia. This case also might bring a good opportunity for the Police Department to show its capability in front of the public. After so much media reporting, this case is that ‘big and loud’ case that the police is needed.
By: Putu Radar Bahurekso
