Bahlil Annoyed And Suspected That Some Were Infiltrated To The President's Decree Not To Continue The Downstreaming Program

Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia. (Photo: Aris Nurjani/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Investment/Head of BKPM reported that the realization of downstream investment from January to September 2023 reached IDR 266 trillion or 25.3 percent of the total realization of Indonesia's investment of IDR 1.053 trillion until September 2023.

Meanwhile, if you detail it in the mineral sector for the nickel smelter of IDR 97 trillion, bauxite of IDR 7.1 trillion and copper of IDR 47.6 trillion.

Furthermore, in the CPO/oleochemical agricultural sector of IDR 39.5 trillion, the forestry sector for pulp & paper is IDR 34.8 trillion.

Meanwhile, the oil and gas sector for petrochemicals is IDR 31.6 trillion, as well as the electric vehicle ecosystem sector for electric vehicle batteries of IDR 8.4 trillion.

Investment Minister/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia expressed his suspicions regarding parties from the prospective presidential candidate (candidate) who did not want to continue the downstream program launched by President Jokowi.

"First, parties who like to get quick profits from imports. Second, entrepreneurs who often export raw materials, including nickel. Third, there are countries that do not want Indonesia to progress," Bahlil said at a press conference on Friday, October 20.

Bahlil gave an example, such as the IMF, asking the IMF to apologize for an error in interpretation in the media.

However, he still questioned why in the next study part the IMF instead asked Indonesia to reconsider the nickel export ban and asked that the ban not be extended to other raw materials.

"What does it mean that people like that want to intervene in our country? There must be something that will enter the presidential candidate, ruler or political party who may create a downstream program so that it is not continued. Now this is a danger, the state should not be controlled by people like this," said Bahlil.

Bahlil hopes that the leader who replaces President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will dare to continue downstreaming.

This is the same back to the VOC era where Indonesia only exports raw materials.

"I hope that in the future this presidential candidate or 3 presidential candidates can continue this (hilirization), because I also have confidence that there are other parties who do not want this item to be continued," he said.

Bahlil said that the ban on exports of raw materials was declared in the era of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), but President Jokowi had not yet executed his term of office and continued.

"Pak Jokowi executed, prohibited exports. Now there are people who are included in one of the presidential candidates, maybe, making a program so as not to continue downstreaming," he said.

He said the president encouraged efforts to find alternatives to create his own LPG, with the hope that the domestic LPG developed would not be more expensive than imported LPG.

In addition, Bahlil hopes that state-owned companies can intervene in this case and his party has held a meeting with SKK Migas to discuss downstream ethanol, blue ammonia, LPG and fertilizer.

"We have to encourage ethanol, methanol and LPG because we are still importing 7 million tons per year. Our subsidy is targeted for LPG this year, which is predicted to be almost Rp 100 trillion," said Bahlil.