Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia got his PhD after one year and eight months. - Photo: Reuters
JAKARTA: Controversy has erupted across the country after it was alleged that a high-flying Cabinet minister, who was awarded a doctoral degree by a top Indonesian university, used the services of a writer-for-hire, or “joki”, for his dissertation.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, 48, who was appointed to his post less than two weeks ago, has defended his dissertation on the downstreaming of the domestic nickel industry.
The paper has come under scrutiny, with speculation that it was the result of “joki” services, where someone gets paid to complete academic assignments on behalf of somebody else.
The minister got his PhD after one year and eight months, instead of the usual three or four years it takes to complete doctoral studies, at the prestigious University of Indonesia (UI).
He was awarded the doctorate with honours (cum laude) from the School of Strategic and Global Studies.
While it is still unclear if a writer-for-hire was used, the issue has revived chatter on the rampant use of “joki”, who either sit exams instead of the actual candidates, or ghostwrite essays, theses or dissertations, in exchange for a fee.
The practice of such ghostwriting is long-standing and widespread in Indonesia, with some openly advertising their services on social media, according to experts.
As for Dr Bahlil, his PhD was awarded just five days before he was named a Cabinet member of President Prabowo Subianto on Oct 21.
He was previously Minister of Investment for more than three years under the Joko Widodo administration.
The award grabbed national attention after a group of UI alumni initiated a petition on change.org, which has garnered more than 14,000 signatures, to demand a probe into the issue.
A team of the university’s professors and academic senate concluded its investigation on Oct 30, but the findings have not been made public.
The results are expected to be handed over to the university’s rector.
Dr Bahlil is chairman of the Golkar party, which has the second-largest number of lawmakers in Indonesia’s Parliament.
This affair has brought the controversial issue of “joki” to the fore. It has also raised the spectre that Indonesians might zoom in on other politicians and public officials who indulge this ethically, if not legally, dubious practice.
In his defence, Bahlil was quoted by news outlet Kompas.com on Oct 18 as saying: “According to the rules, it takes at least four semesters to finish a PhD. I pursued a doctoral degree by research, which takes at least four semesters, and I’ve passed four semesters.”
He added: “I attended classes, consultations and seminars.”
UI spokesperson Amelita Lusia told CNN Indonesia that the PhD programme was designed to be completed within six semesters, and can be undertaken within at least four and at most ten semesters.
UI alumni regularly fill the ranks of the Cabinet, with the university, which is located in Depok, West Java, often ranked as one of Indonesia’s top three universities, along with the Bandung Institute of Technology and Gadjah Mada University.
UI was ranked eighth in South-east Asia, and 206th globally in the 2025 QS World University Ranking.
Yandi (not his real name), who has been in the “joki” business for four years, told The Straits Times that he charges up to 30 million rupiah (S$2530) for a full thesis. Regular writing assignments cost between 100,000 and 500,000 rupiah.
He entered this line, which he calls “personal assistance service”, because of the easy money.
“The demand for the service is quite high, especially among master’s and PhD students who mostly work while studying, resulting in their inability to handle their assignments,” he said, adding that most clients get to know of his services through word-of-mouth, instead of social media advertising.
Education expert Ina Liem told ST that “joki” services are an “open secret” and have been used both by students and academics.
There was more discretion in the past, but these services are now more widely known thanks to social media, and have evolved into big business, she said.
This is largely due to the obsession over and prestige associated with degrees and certificates, with employers or institutions prioritising academic achievements over real work capabilities, Ina added.
In the political sphere, such academic achievements also provide an edge, said Dr Yanuar Nugroho, a lecturer at Driyarkara School of Philosophy.
“Degrees accelerate the promotion of civil servants. Obtaining these degrees is done at all costs, including by paying (someone),” said the former deputy at the Office of Presidential Staff.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology said in an X post on July 23 that the academic community is banned from using “joki” for assignments and scientific works as it violates ethics and legal rules.
The practice, it said, is a form of plagiarism that is prohibited under the 2003 Law on the National Education System.
The ministry was then responding to another joki-related incident. In a video released on July 20 that went viral, Abigail Muria, founder of sociopolitical media platform What Is Up Indonesia questioned the widespread normalisation of the practice, saying that it only adds to problems surrounding curriculum planning and the quality of teaching in the country’s education system.
Under the law, plagiarism will result in the removal of related titles and could lead to legal punishment of up to two years in jail and/or a fine of up to 200 million rupiah.
Dr Bahlil’s is not the only high profile case where an academic degree has triggered controversy.
Weeks before he was inaugurated as Prabowo’s special presidential envoy on Oct 23, entertainer and businessman Raffi Ahmad was awarded an honorary doctorate in event management and global digital development by Bangkok-based Universal Institute of Professional Management (UIPM).
However, netizens raised doubts about the legitimacy and credibility of the institute. The then-Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology later declared it could not recognise Raffi’s degree because the institute did not have an operational permit in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, there have been allegations that senior politicians Sufmi Dasco Ahmad of the Gerindra party and Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar party obtained their professorships after publishing academic papers on predatory journals, local magazine Tempo reported.
Predatory journals are publications that lack peer review and a proper editing process, and often charge authors publishing fees.
Both Ms Ina and Dr Yanuar believe that taking legal action is key to combatting the deeply entrenched “joki” culture and plagiarism.
Dr Yanuar, a former lecturer at the UK’s University of Manchester, said it is perhaps time to move away from the prestige accorded to these titles that might not mean much in terms of policy experience or know-how.
“If the president and ministers ban the use of academic titles in official events and the awarding of honorary doctorates and professorships without rigid peer review, and the government sets stricter requirements for doctoral degrees, that will be great,” said Dr Yanuar. - The Straits Times/ANN
