Sri Mulyani, Karen, Din and Ahok

Hard cash: Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati (left) and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir announce the government’s placement of funds in Indonesia’s state banks recently. — Antara/JP

YOU may wonder why I named those four people in the headline of this column.

They are prominent figures and among Indonesia's best talents. But they were once – and perhaps still are – victims of persecution and bullying perpetrated by the country’s political and economic oligarchs.