Jokowi Appointed Eric Thohir As Minister Of SOEs: I Swear To God, I Never Asked

Minister of SOEs, Erick Thohir. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of SOEs)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir said that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was first appointed as a minister. Erick himself was a successful team for the Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin pair in the 2019 Presidential Election.

Despite being a successful team, Erick emphasized that he had never asked to be elected as a minister. Because at that time he and Raden Pardede were designing the concept of the National Economic Committee (KEN).

"I swear to God, I didn't ask to be a minister. No (never asked). A concrete example of us sitting with Pak Raden Pardede, at that time was making the KEN concept, which is like in America there is a West Wing. But independently to see the roadmap from Indonesia economically in the future," he said, quoted from Akbar Faizal's Uncersored YouTube channel, Thursday, November 25.

Erick said he was also summoned by Jokowi along with Wishnutama. During the meeting, Jokowi said that he needed professionals to sit in the Indonesia Maju July II cabinet.

"When he called me including Mas Wishnutama at that time, we were burdened and shocked. But he emphasized that I needed workers, professionals who also truly transformed SOEs as he aspired to," he said.

Furthermore, Erick also agreed to Jokowi's offer. Moreover, said Erick, it is undeniable that while accompanying Jokowi during the campaign, a sense of love for his figure also emerged. Even so, he admits that the trust is not an easy thing.

"And it's not an easy job. Even to this day, if you say whether I'm perfect in doing it as an SOE leadership, I'm not," he said.

Erick Thohir feels that he still has many shortcomings as a leader. However, these shortcomings serve as lessons for making that decision.

"Surely I have shortcomings here and there. But that's what I will always emphasize as a leader, the worst thing is when I don't make any decisions. That's why I try to make decisions but if there are things that are not optimal, it doesn't hurt us corrected. Now these things are indeed things that I think are the dynamics of leadership that I face as well," he explained.