Amidst the Rp300 Trillion Funds Flow Issue at the Ministry of Finance, the Public Trusts Mahfud MD More Than the DPR

Recently, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD publicly revealed allegations of more than Rp300 trillion in suspicious funds flowing through the Ministry of Finance. These funds are considered unusual and their purpose unclear.

This disclosure followed the widely publicized case of Rafael Alun Trisambodo, a former Ministry of Finance official with substantial assets, who has now been named a suspect in a bribery case by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) conducted a survey to gauge public response. The results showed that 35.5% of respondents were aware of the case, while 64.5% were not.

Amidst the widespread media coverage of these funds, the House of Representatives (DPR) summoned Mahfud MD for clarification. One DPR member stated that the information about the more than Rp300 trillion in suspicious funds should not have been made public by Mahfud.

LSI also asked respondents for their opinion on the DPR member's statement. 58.5% of respondents disagreed with the DPR member's view, indicating that the public prefers transparency regarding the flow of these funds.

26.8% agreed with the DPR member, and 14.6% were unsure or did not answer.

43.9% of respondents were aware of the March 29, 2023 meeting between Commission III of the DPR and Mahfud MD, while 56.1% were unaware.

Of those who followed the news, 63.3% trusted Mahfud MD's statements more, while only 3.6% trusted the DPR's statements. 16.5% trusted both, 10.1% trusted neither, and 6.5% did not answer or were unsure.

"Of those aware of the case of unusual funds, approximately 43.9% followed the news about the meeting between Mahfud MD and Commission III of the DPR; of those who followed the news, the majority (63.3%) trusted Mahfud MD's statements more," wrote LSI in its report.

The LSI survey involved 1,229 respondents aged 17 and older or who were married, surveyed in February 2023 and early April 2023.

Sample selection was conducted using random digit dialing (RDD), a technique that involves randomly generating telephone numbers, followed by validation and screening.

Data was collected from March 31 to April 4, 2023, and published on April 9, 2023.

The margin of error for this survey is estimated at around 2.9%, with a 95% confidence level, assuming simple random sampling.