Staff Debate Erick Thohir Vs Said Didu Regarding The 'Sales' Of Kualanamu Airport To Foreigners

Kualanamu Airport, North Sumatra. (Photo: Instagram @ap2_qualanamu)

JAKARTA - The question of whether or not Kualanamu Airport is sold to foreign parties is still a polemic. Staff of the Minister of SOEs Arya Sinulingga explained the link between share ownership and the build operate transfer (BOT) system run by PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) or AP II with the GMR Airports Consortium in the development of Kualanamu Airport in Deli Serdang.

"To answer @msaid_didu's misguided thought, why is the BOT system but GMR has 49% shares, which means that assets are sold for 49%," wrote Arya in the @AryaSinulingga account, quoted on Saturday 27 November.

This staff member, Erick Thohir, explained that AP II gave management rights to a subsidiary in this case PT Angkasa Pura Aviasi with GMR Airports, a company formed by GMR Group from India and Aéroports de Paris Group (ADP) from France.

The management rights in the form of BOT, he continued, were carried out for 25 years. This means that, after 25 years, the management rights will be given back to AP II.

"The first misguidance @msaid_didu is, how can 49% of the assets be sold, if after 25 years it is returned to AP II. Where is the sale of assets if they are later returned to their owners," he wrote.

Furthermore, Aya believes that if the asset is sold, the owner will hand over the asset to the purchaser without any obligation to return it to the original owner. Meanwhile, the management company formed by the subsidiaries of AP II and GMR is in the form of a limited liability company.

The limited liability company, whose share composition is owned by PT Angkasa Pura Aviasi and GMR, owns 51 percent and 49 percent, respectively. The relationship between share ownership in the management company and asset ownership, because the rights are management rights.

"If this is true, the current condition is even better when the BOT is not even given to third parties, but is still controlled by the majority of shares by SOE subsidiaries," said Arya.

Meanwhile, the former Secretary of the Ministry of SOEs, M. Said Didu, wrote a narration on the Twitter account @msaid_didu.

"How does the sale mode of the Kuala Namu airport begin with a distortion of the definition of BUMN/State assets, the sale of shares is wrapped as if it were a collaboration, and how dangerous it would be if this mode continued - will we still have BUMN in the future?" Said Didu wrote.

According to him, if it concerns the release of shares, it means that it includes the sale of assets and is no longer a joint operation. The parties should only enter capital to manage the facilities and share profits according to the agreement without any transfer of shares.

"What needs to be taken care of is Kertajati and Sudirman airports which need to be taken care of - even the ones that need to be taken care of is Kualanamu airport, which is clearly healthy and good," wrote Said in the @msaid_didu account.