Indramayu Regent Lucky Hakim Sentenced to Internship at Ministry of Home Affairs, Sanctions Considered Not Firm Enough

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Ministry of Home Affairs has imposed a three-month internship punishment on Indramayu Regent Lucky Hakim for traveling abroad without the minister's permission. Lucky is required to learn about governance at the Ministry of Home Affairs at least once a week. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also requested that he remain budget-conscious even while in Jakarta.

However, the sanctions imposed on Lucky Hakim are considered insufficiently strict. According to the regulations in the Regional Government Law, such violations should be subject to a temporary suspension sanction for a duration of three months.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Bima Arya, explained that the results of the examination indicated that Lucky Hakim did not understand the rules or procedures in the government regarding permits for traveling abroad. Lucky was also not proven to have used the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) of Indramayu Regency during his vacation abroad.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to impose sanctions in the form of an in-depth examination of the political governance within three months. Furthermore, at least once a week, the Regent of Indramayu is required to be present at the Ministry of Home Affairs," he stated at the Directorate General of Village Government Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Jakarta, Tuesday (22/4/2025).

The Regent of Indramayu, Bima continued, will listen to and learn about the governance of political administration. Specifically, the topics will include government politics, regional finance, and regional development. All speakers will come from components within the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Sanctions will take effect starting next week or on Monday (28/4/2025). The schedule for internships or training at the Ministry of Home Affairs will be arranged by the Secretariat General. Punishments will also only be carried out during working days. Despite being penalized, Lucky is requested to continue performing his duties as a regional head, particularly in the areas of synchronizing development plans, overseeing priority programs, and public services.

The examination of Lucky Hakim's violations was conducted over a week and involved nine witnesses. Lucky was questioned regarding his departure abroad without permission. At that time, he was on vacation in Japan with his family without the knowledge and permission of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Governor of West Java.

On the other hand, the sanctions against Lucky, according to Bima, are deemed appropriate and based on various considerations. This includes budget efficiency policies. The Indramayu Regent is considered to need to learn how to manage regional finances to remain frugal. In fact, he is advised to leave in the early morning and return in the evening to avoid the need for overnight stays.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to impose sanctions in the form of an in-depth examination of the political governance of the government within three months. Furthermore, at least one day a week, the Regent of Indramayu is required to be present at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The sanctions imposed on Lucky Hakim, according to Bima, serve as a warning to all regional heads. The Ministry of Home Affairs urges regional heads to learn to understand licensing regulations and the procedures for managing governance. The incident involving Lucky Hakim should serve as a lesson.

"The joint leave is for the people and not for officials. Regional heads have a duty of continuous public service. All regional heads are required to submit a permit request to the Ministry of Home Affairs for regents and mayors, and to the President for governors," said Bima.

The obligation to apply for permission is implied in Article 76 Paragraph (1) points (i) and (j) of Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Government (Regional Government Law). In point (i), it is stated that regional heads and their deputies are prohibited from traveling abroad without the permission of the minister.

Meanwhile, point (j) states that regional heads and their deputies are also prohibited from leaving their duties and work areas for more than seven consecutive or non-consecutive days within a month without permission. The granting of this permission is carried out by the minister for governors, while the permission for regents and deputy regents as well as mayors and deputy mayors is in the hands of the governor.

Separately, the Executive Director of the Committee for Monitoring the Implementation of Regional Autonomy (KPPOD), Herman N Suparman, believes that the sanctions imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs are insufficiently firm. If referring to the applicable regulations, the appropriate sanction would be a temporary suspension or deactivation for a certain period.

In the provisions of Article 76 Paragraph (1) letter (i) of Law Number 23/2014 concerning Regional Government, it is stated that regional heads are prohibited from traveling abroad without the permission of the minister. Article 77 of the Regional Government Law stipulates sanctions, whereby regional heads who violate this provision are subject to a temporary suspension for three months.

According to Herman, a probationary sentence is only imposed on regional heads who abandon their duties for seven consecutive days. This is preceded by a warning. The probationary sanction is applied if the verbal warning is ignored twice.

"We will only appreciate it if the sanctions are in accordance with the rules. Going abroad without permission is very clear, the regulation is in the law, temporary suspension," he said.

The sanctions imposed on Lucky, Herman continued, seem to serve as a breath of fresh air for other regional heads to violate regulations. This is because the penalties are lower than the applicable provisions. Moreover, it merely involves an internship once a week for three months.