Maung From PT Pindad Can Become An Indonesian Car Icon

MV3 Garuda Limousine, a car by PT Pindad used as President Prabowo Subianto's vehicle after his inauguration in Jakarta, Sunday (20/10/2024). (ANTARA/HO/PT Pindad)

JAKARTA President Prabowo Subianto's intention to use Maung produced by Pindad as an official car for ministers and deputy ministers of the Red and White Cabinet (KMP) has received appreciation. Public policy observer Trubus Rahadiansyah said Maung, issued by PT Pindad, could become a national car icon.

The discourse on using Maung as the official car of KMP and echelon I was first revealed by Deputy Minister of Finance Anggito Abimanyu some time ago. He said that starting next week he would replace the official car from Alphard to made by PT Pindad.

"Next week I will use the Maung car, the Pindad car, because Pak Prabowo has said that next week there will be no more imported goods for echelon I cars to the ministers, extraordinary," said Anggito.

Anggito's statement received a positive response from a number of ministers and deputy ministers. Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi guaranteed that President Prabowo's order regarding Maung's official car would be carried out. According to him, Prabowo has the spirit to use domestic product vehicles.

"So, please, the spirit is that we have to have our own car," said Prasetyo at the Presidential Palace Complex.

He said the car would be purchased, not rented. He considered it a form of investment.

"Yes, we buy, we invest," said Prasetyo.

Quoting Antara, Maung is a 4x4 light tactical vehicle produced by PT Pindad aimed at supporting close combat operations and difficult terrain. From the official Pindad website, it is known that Maung is designed to have agile and reliable maneuverability to support the mobility of its users in various operational fields.

The SUV has a safe speed of 120 km/hour, a manual transmission of 6-speed and is capable of reaching a distance of up to 800 km. Maung can be equipped with a 7.62 mm rifle, SS2 V4 weapons console, navigation GPS devices and vehicle tracking and other equipment. The four-passenged car weighs 2,160 kg which can be modified for various purposes.

Prabowo currently uses the Garuda Limousine MV3, or more popularly known as Maung Pindad, which is produced by PT Pindad (Persero) as his official vehicle. Another name is Maung Garuda. This car is the work of the nation's children whose 70 percent component is local production.

President Prabowo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka used the white car with the European style on the convoy of vehicles to greet people along the way from the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly Building to the State Palace after the inauguration on October 20.

However, not long after Deputy Minister of Finance Anggito Abimanyu made a statement about the Maung car made by PT Pindad to become an official vehicle for ministerial and echelon I officials, the Ministry of Finance provided clarification through a press statement. The Ministry of Finance said it was not a plan, but only an example.

"This statement was conveyed not in the context of being a planner, but in order to provide an example of using domestic products as a spirit to strengthen and support domestic industries," wrote a statement by the Ministry of Finance's clarification.

Political observer from the KEDANKOPI Survey Institute Hendri Satrio said President Prabowo's direction for his cabinet to use Maung produced by Pindad was a real example to love domestic products.

Although the Ministry of Finance has clarified, according to Hendri Satrio, if the directive is correct, it will be very good to set an example to the public regarding the attitude of love for domestic products.

"If it is true that Pak Prabowo ordered ministers, deputy ministers and echelon I officials to use Maung, it is very good because it reflects the attitude of love for domestic products and it can be an example to the community as well," said the man who is familiarly called Hensat.

In addition, Hensat also praised the shape and design of the Pindad MV-3 Garuda Limousine, which is President Prabowo's arrears. He hopes that with Maung's attractive design, it is not impossible that Pindad products will sell in the Indonesian market.

'Maung Garuda is cool in shape. It's like a mitigation. So I think it's good if you want to use it by the minister and deputy minister. Because the shape is good, so you can definitely sell it on the market. It's cool, Mr. Prabowo," he added.

Presidential Chief of Staff Anto Mukti Putranto explained the 30 percent component of Maung from Ssangyong and Mercedes-Benz, the producer from South Korea and Germany. Meanwhile, another 70 percent was made by Pindad.

"The 30 percent (components) from Korea (South), Mercy (Mercedes-Benz), SSangYong, the basic framework, machinery, and framework," said Putranto after a meeting with Commission XIII of the DPR RI at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Wednesday, October 30, 2024, as quoted by Antara.

Public policy observer from Trisakti University Trubus Rahadiansyah welcomed the plan to use Maung's Pindad output as service vehicles for ministers, deputy ministers, and echelon I.

"This is good because it is an Indonesian product, although some of the components are not from within the country," Trubus said when contacted by VOI.

However, Trubus hopes that the government will regulate a number of regulations so as not to get a lawsuit from the World Trade Organization (WTO) again because not all of its components come from within the country.

"Maung can be an icon of Indonesia, but it really depends on the government (to take care of component problems from abroad). This is only an effort by the government to place Pindad as a domestic car," Trubus said.

"What is regulated is how the potential for the WTO lawsuit is, because we had trauma during the Timor case first. But it is important to have your own car (production)," he concluded.

Indonesia once discussed the Timor national car project (mobnas) in the era of President Suharto. In order to launch the Timor mobnas project, President Suharto instead issued Presidential Decree No. 42 of 1996.

The essence of the presidential decree is that PT Timor Putra Nasional or TPN does not need to go through the stages of fulfilling the local component and may import a car in its entirety or simply built up. That way, TPN obtains facilities, including exemption from import duties for cars.

Whereas initially, TPN as the pioneer of the Mobnas, had to use a local component of 20 percent in the first year, 40 percent in the second year, and 60 percent in the following year.

Mobnas Timor has only changed the mblem of Kia products from Kia Motors Corp., Kia Sephia 1995 to the Timor S15 national zone in Indonesia. Indonesia was sued by Japan, the United States, and the European Union to the WTO because it was considered to have violated the article on giving discriminatory treatment to other companies.