'I Say Thank You', Said Erick Thohir To Ahok Because The Pertamina President Commissioner Was The Dismantling Of SOEs

Ahok and Erick Thohir. (Photo: Instagram @basukibtp)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Erick Thohir responded to the statement by the President Commissioner of PT Pertamina (Persero) Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok for his criticism of the contracts for several projects that were detrimental to SOEs.

According to Erick, Ahok's statement is by the improvement efforts made by the Ministry of SOEs. He assessed that the improvement was carried out through five foundations for the transformation of state-owned companies. In fact, this effort has been carried out since 2020.

"Yes, I think that what Mr. President Commissioner (Pertamina) said was a conversation, try my media friends, check my statement from 2020 regarding improvements to the five SOE foundations regarding business processes. So, if Mr. Ahok, Mr. President Commissioner said that, I thank you", said Erick, in Jakarta, Wednesday, December 1.

In addition, Erick also asked Ahok to review several contracts that had been carried out by Pertamina. This step is to see the transparency of the company's business.

"Please review those at Pertamina like I also review all SOEs, that's what we do, transparency and business processes. But I just want to remind you, what was stated earlier in the Nikkei statement that if we don't develop a modern industrial ecosystem, we don't do anything about it. In the end, we are left behind in T&D investment", he said.

Previously, Ahok some time ago had mentioned that many business contracts in SOEs were detrimental to state-owned companies, including Pertamina. He was also angry with the findings because apart from harming SOEs, the business contracts actually benefited other parties.

"Many SOE contracts are very detrimental to SOEs as well, including Pertamina. So that's what I'm angry about, this is what we are correcting. Why are the contracts benefiting other parties? That's the Mens rea", said Ahok via the YouTube account Panggil Saya BTP on Friday, November 26.

Ahok was also more furious because the contact that harmed the SOEs was considered a breeze by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

The former governor of DKI Jakarta said that the contract which was detrimental to SOEs occurred because the directors concerned were lured to get something. One of them is the position in a private company that has been out of SOEs.

Even so, Ahok did not mention in more detail contracts that harm SOEs and which state-owned companies have such detrimental contracts.