Luhut And Erick Tohir Allegedly Involved In PCR Business, PKS Legislator: President Jokowi Don't Let This Issue Develop
JAKARTA - The names of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir are rumored to be involved in the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) business practice.
In response, Deputy Chairman of the PKS Faction in the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mulyanto, asked President Joko Widodo to take action against state officials suspected of being involved in the business of testing the Corona virus detection kit.
According to him, President Jokowi should not allow ministers in the cabinet he leads to get involved in this business. Besides being able to disrupt the government's efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, Mulyanto reminded that maintaining public trust is not easy.
"The president should not let this issue drag on for a long time because it can lead to public distrust of government policies in tackling COVID-19," said Mulyanto, Thursday, November 4.
The member of Commission VII of the House of Representatives assessed that the actions of the minister who took part in the PCR test kit business were very unethical. Moreover, the ministers who are involved in this business have the authority to regulate policies to deal with COVID-19, so it is very likely that the policies made are regulated in such a way as to benefit the business. "The state can go bankrupt if the minister's mentality is like this. The minister is a public office. So whoever takes office must work fully for the benefit of the community, not for the interests of his business group," said Mulyanto.
The PKS politician suspects that the conflict of interest or vested interest in the COVID-19 response program has occurred for a long time. This has already been felt in the case of research and production of the Merah Putih vaccine.
He said that the Red and White vaccine research conducted by Airlangga University under the coordination of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in the COVID-19 research consortium seemed slow. Even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has given the green light to be involved in monitoring clinical trials.
Even said Mulyanto, BPOM has also welcomed the preparation. However, because it is suspected that there are interests of certain parties, the process of research and production of innovative vaccines for the nation's children is taking a long time. It is estimated that the Red and White vaccine can only be produced in July 2022. "The delay is suspected because Minister Luhut anticipates the entry of Chinese vaccine manufacturers for mass production in Indonesia, which is also planned at the same time as the production of the Merah Putih Vaccine. This seems to be biased. policy," explained the Banten III electoral district legislator. So said Mulyanto, it's not surprising that later there are some people who suspect that there is a shrimp behind a rock. Because according to him, during the crucial phase of developing vaccines for the nation's children, what is being promoted is foreign vaccines that will be built. in the country.
The member of the Legislative Body (Baleg) of the DPR RI added that this problem is a contradictory matter. Because, said Mulyanto, the government should prioritize innovation products for the nation's children to become masters in their own country.
"It's not just about being complacent on imported products. So if the officials have a vested interest and are involved in the COVID-19 business, how is it possible that the response in Indonesia can be completed quickly. Therefore, the President must take firm action on this matter," concluded Mulyanto.