Yet the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse in 2004 with the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. According to Transparency International, by the end of Yudhoyono’s first term in office in 2009, the level of corruption in Indonesia had not been reduced significantly. However, many Indonesians believed Yudhoyono was a clean figure, and hence better than Suharto. Although five of Yudhoyono’s ministers and top-ranking officials in his administration were sentenced to jail on corruption-related charges, public opinion about Yudhoyono and the KPK remained high since it was believed that they were doing the right thing.
When Joko Widodo won the 2014 election there were again reasons for optimism. A non-elitist politician with a clean track record, Widodo’s humble and easy-going manners suggested a break from the past. Having also joined his cabinet as a coordinating minister during his first term in office, I saw up close what I believed up to be an honest and sincere man who wanted the best for his nation.
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