Siti Juliantari Rachman, fondly known as Tari, began her academic journey in 2008 as an undergraduate student at the Department of Criminology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FISIP UI).
In her third year of study, Tari chose to intern at the non-governmental organization Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) alongside a fellow classmate. This decision became the gateway that led her to delve deeper into issues of governance. After graduating from UI in January 2012, she immediately joined ICW’s Public Service Monitoring Division as a Program Officer. In this role, she learned how disparities in access to and quality of public services occur, and how corruption permeates strategic sectors, particularly education and health. Her first assignment was to map corruption patterns in these two sectors while also empowering communities to become more critical of public services.
Her perseverance in advocating anti-corruption issues carried her from the classrooms of UI’s Criminology Department to the stage of global recognition.
Since then, Tari has continued her work at ICW, holding various strategic positions, including Program Manager of the Campaign Division, Program Manager of the Knowledge Management Division, and most recently, Deputy Coordinator.
Her relentless efforts have led to tangible achievements, including the adoption of public procurement standards in the Information Commission Regulation and the inclusion of a collaboration with the National Public Procurement Agency (LKPP) to promote public participation through Opentender.net in the Compendium of Good Practices on Public Participation and Anti-Corruption Education at the G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration 2022.
Her consistency in advocating anti-corruption issues earned her international recognition, being named one of the Faces of Open Government by the Open Government Partnership and an Open Contracting Champion by the Open Contracting Partnership.
Tari is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Melbourne to broaden her perspectives and skills, with the aim of continuing to advocate for transparency, accountability, and public participation in Indonesia.
Impressions of Studying in the Department of Criminology
One of the most memorable experiences during her studies was taking the courses Social Statistics and White Collar Crime (WCC). Social Statistics, at the time, was full of challenges. The assignments often kept her and her friends staying up late on campus. Despite the exhaustion, the knowledge gained from this course proved valuable, both for writing her thesis and as an important foundation in her work at ICW, especially when managing surveys and analyzing data.
WCC was a unique course, attended by only six students. The small class setting allowed for in-depth discussions, connecting concepts and theories with real-world white-collar crime cases in Indonesia, including corruption. This experience not only broadened her academic horizons but also deepened her interest in pursuing anti-corruption issues in the future.
Message for Students and Alumni
Every challenge is a teacher, and every difficulty is a process that hones skills and shapes one’s character.
For Tari, every job pursued with wholehearted dedication and perseverance will bear results. Every challenge is a teacher, and every difficulty is a learning process that hones skills while shaping one’s character. With this mindset, she believes that anyone can move forward toward greater and more meaningful achievements.
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- Being one of the speakers as well as a participant in The 2nd Summit for Democracy in Korea.
- Presenting activities in the Public Sector Transparency and Accountability Fellowship organized by Australia Awards Indonesia at Griffith University.
- Attending the Feminist Leadership Program training in the Philippines.
