Jakarta. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani recently ordered the disbandment of the tax directorate general’s big motorbike group, the Belasting Rijder DJP, after a photo of one of its bike rides sparked a public uproar.

All eyes are now on Indonesian tax officials following an assault case, involving the son of a section head, which led to the public discovering their lavish lifestyles. Most recently, a photo of Tax Director General Suryo Utomo at the front of what seemed to be one of Blasting Rijder DJP’s bike rides went viral on the internet. In that photo, Suryo is seen riding a big motorbike, locally known as moge, without a helmet on.

“I have instructed the Tax Director General [Suryo Utomo] to disband the Belasting Rijder DJP club,” Sri Mulyani wrote on her Instagram account @smindrawati over the weekend.

“The hobby and lifestyle of riding big motorbikes will trigger negative perception in the eyes of the public, and raise questions on tax officials’ source of wealth,” she said.

The minister told Suryo to disclose his wealth and its sources, as reported by the mandatory state official wealth report. Even if Suryo had purchased the bike by legitimate means, riding and showing off the bike is still not acceptable behavior by a government official.

“This harms the public trust,” Sri Mulyani said.

Last week, Mario Dandy Satrio, the son of tax section head Rafael Alun Trisambodo, beat a seventeen-year-old boy into a coma. The assault became a domino effect, revealing the luxurious lifestyles of Indonesian tax officials. In his filing to the Anti-Graft Commission (KPK), Rafael reported a wealth of Rp 56 billion (about $3.6 million). However, Rafael omitted the Rubicon Jeep SUV, which his son Mario often flexed on social media, from his wealth report.

For comparison, Suryo Utomo’s net worth stands at Rp 14.4 billion, whereas Sri Mulyani's wealth totaled Rp 58 billion.

The Finance Ministry last Friday removed Mario from his post for a further internal investigation. On the same day, Rafael submitted a resignation letter. 

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