Pontianak, Thekabarnews.com—People thought the corruption stories had stopped for a while, but then another name came up. This time, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Maidi, the Madiun mayor, in a sting operations (OTT) and quickly took him to Jakarta. Please read the narration carefully while you drink a cup of sugarless coffee (Koptagul).

Let us take a break and give a round of applause. Not everyone can write a life story that is as well-written as a college brochure or as beautiful as a recently refurbished city park. Maidi’s career used to be a perfect illustration of how to move forward in Indonesia’s democracy.

Maidi, a former high school teacher, succeeded the mayor for two periods. Maidi’s career progressed from chalkboards to property plots, from classrooms to meetings about the budget. This is an inspiring story of success that could inspire even the most indolent reader to rise early.

Maidi was born on May 12, 1961, in Plaosan, Magetan. He was not the son of a high-ranking official or the heir of a business empire. Maidi developed his reputation by being disciplined, getting good grades, and having many degrees.

He went to many schools, including IKIP Surabaya, Universitas Merdeka Madiun, Universitas Satyagama, Universitas PGRI Adi Buana, and Universitas Terbuka. Titles lined up in a perfect row. His resume was immaculate, and his campaign signs were shining. He looked perfect, like a high-end imported fruit meticulously arranged in the display case of political power.

Subsequently, Gerindra emerged as a prominent political party, possessing a well-functioning electoral machinery and a talent for identifying “ripe” candidates. Maidi was put up for election, polished, and won. In 2018, he won the election for mayor (Pilkada) and again in 2024, this time with Bagus Panuntun. Two victories. Two crops. Strong coalitions. A story of success convinced voters of the idea.

He was said to be worth Rp18.4 billion, most of which was in land and property. Maidi was no longer only a mayor; he was now in charge of an asset garden that was getting bigger. On paper, everything seemed legal, organized, and in line with the rules. Madiun itself looked better: parks grew, LED lights shone, and fountains danced. The city looked like a tourism brochure provided for by the Regional Revenues and Expenditures Budget (APBD).

People said that Maidi was a sign of local development achievement, a sweet fruit of decentralization. But people do not often check the fragrance of fruit that gets a lot of praise. The KPK came to Madiun on January 19, 2026, not with flowers to congratulate them, but with arrest warrants. They were not there for a class visit but rather for a sting operations (OTT).

Authorities arrested 15 people. Authorities quickly brought nine of them, including the mayor, to Jakarta. Digital transfers, QR codes, or e-wallets were not the proof. It was money. The amount involved was hundreds of millions of rupiah. Even though we live in an era of AI, his corruption was still analog—romantic, touchable, and smelling like paper.

The allegations include project fees and the use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for impermissible purposes. People claim that funds intended for community development have become a tempting source of power. CSR no longer meant “corporate social responsibility.” It now meant a short-term savings jar for people who worked there. The project fees were unclear; they represented compensation for exhausted employees, which also contributed to public fatigue.

The timing of these events significantly worsens the overall situation. Maidi had only been in his second period for a month. He kept the same flowerpots in the workplace and did not sign up for numerous new initiatives. But there he was, posing not for ceremonial photos but for KPK investigators. A second period that should have shown political maturity instead decayed before it was ready.

Gerindra must now look in the mirror. The candidate they nurtured, promoted, and showcased as evidence of successful political recruitment is now in a state of decay. People no longer care if this is a political mistake or the outcome of a poorly kept garden. The design is well-known. The only things that change are the names, the parties, and the number of zeros in the envelope.

The party will probably term it a “personal problem,” as they always do. Like Maidi, she was a wild fruit that fell from a tree on its own, not a product of the same system of fertilizer, power, and political sunlight. But they know that rot does not happen overnight. It grows slowly and softly under a gleaming surface.

Maybe one day Maidi will write a book from prison about how he got from party landscaping to the (KPK) Red and White Building. Or maybe he will make a little park in jail with a plaque that says, “Power without integrity only makes bad fruit.”

It is simple to develop city parks in this country—you just need a budget and some contractors. But building moral integrity often leads to crop failure. And the people are tired of having power over them for so long. They do not beg for sweetness anymore. They only hope to remain in good shape.

Writer: Rosadi Jamani, Chairman of Satupena West Kalimantan.