One sentence was all it took to turn Ahmad Sahroni’s world upside down.
The man once known as “Crazy Rich Tanjung Priok” is now making headlines for all the wrong reasons after calling protesters “tolol se-dunia” – “the dumbest people in the world.”
What followed was chaos:
- Angry mobs stormed his home
- Luxury cars were vandalised
- His RM3 million Richard Mille watch was stolen
- And his political party suspended him pending review
But who exactly is Ahmad Sahroni, and how did a man once praised for his rags-to-riches story become the centre of Indonesia’s biggest political storm in 2025?
From port boy to parliament power
Long before the watches and supercars, Ahmad Sahroni grew up in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, where his parents sold nasi Padang at the local port. Born in 1977, he spent much of his youth juggling odd jobs to support the family.
His early life looked nothing like the luxury he flaunts today:
- Shoe polisher: Earned loose change shining shoes for strangers
- Cruise ship waiter: Served passengers on ships he could never afford to ride on
- Fuel truck driver: Hauled petrol for long hours on Jakarta’s busy roads
His fortunes changed when he started climbing the ranks in the fuel transport business, eventually founding his own companies and becoming a wealthy businessman.
His success earned him the nickname “Crazy Rich Tanjung Priok” , a nod to both his humble roots and his flashy lifestyle.
By 2014, politics came knocking:
- Joined the NasDem Party
- Elected as MP for Jakarta’s 3rd electoral district
- Rose to Deputy Chair of Commission III (law, security, human rights)
- Became Treasurer-General of NasDem
- Re-elected in 2019 and again in 2024, cementing his political influence
The remark that lit the fire
By late August 2025, public frustration was boiling over—Indonesians were furious when news broke that MPs were getting a Rp50 million monthly housing allowance. Nothing prepared anyone, though, for Sahroni’s response. In a stirring moment of tone-deafness during a working visit, he blamed his critics with these words:
“Catat nih, orang yang cuma mental bilang ‘bubarin DPR’, itu adalah orang tolol se‑dunia.”
(“Note this: people whose only mentality is to say ‘disband the DPR’ are the dumbest people in the world.”)
Those words set off a chain reaction he never saw coming.
Within days:
- Crowds stormed his Tanjung Priok mansion
- Looters snatched luxury goods, a life-sized Iron Man statue, even his academic diplomas
- His Tesla and Porsche parked outside were vandalised
- Viral videos spread across TikTok and Twitter, with people chanting “duit rakyat!” (“public money!”)
The images of angry citizens raiding the mansion of a millionaire MP hit a nerve, fuelling a wave of criticism online and offline.
The suspension & the RM3 million watch drama
Realising the damage, the NasDem Party moved fast. On September 1, 2025, it announced:
- Suspension of Ahmad Sahroni and fellow MP Nafa Urbach
- Freezing of salaries and roles pending internal investigation
But the drama didn’t end there.
Among the stolen items was Sahroni’s Richard Mille RM 40-01 McLaren Speedtail watch worth a jaw-dropping RM3 million (Rp11.7 billion).
Days later, the saga took a bizarre twist when the watch was returned in a viral TikTok video. A woman, identified as the thief’s mother, handed it back to police saying:
“I told my son this watch isn’t ours… so we returned it.”
For many Indonesians, this controversy became more than just about one MP.
It symbolised the growing disconnect between politicians and ordinary people at a time when economic struggles are hitting hard.
