Administering The Government Has Not Paid A Debt Of IDR 5.2 Trillion To Bulog, Chairman Of Commission IV Considers The Minister Of Finance Sri Mulyani To Make Matters Easier

Chairman of Commission IV DPR Sudin. (Photo: Doc. Antara/DPR)

JAKARTA - The chairman of Commission IV of the DPR, Sudin, paid off the government regarding debts to Bulog worth IDR 5.2 trillion that had not been paid. The Sub-Department questioned why Bulog was given the task of absorbing rice and competing with the market, while the government was still in arrears of debt to Bulog.

"The government of debt to Bulog is more than Rp. 5 trillion while Bulog is told to buy rice using money from where? commercial, you know. Bulog will buy rice with loan money whose interest is commercial, while the government still has debt arrears to Bulog of Rp. 5.2 trillion," he said in a commission IV meeting with the National Food Agency, Wednesday, November 16.

Furthermore, the Sub-Department also likened the fulfillment of Government Rice Reserves (CBP) Bulog to only being armed with a toy gun by the government when it was about to enter the war arena.

"So this Bulog was told to give him a gun, please go to the battlefield. You have no strategy, you are shot dead by the enemy," he said.

Sudin again questioned why the government did not pay arrears to Bulog. He also assessed that Finance Minister Sri Mulyani made this issue easier.

"Why doesn't the government just pay Bulog's debt of Rp. 5.2 trillion? This seems to the Minister of Finance to make matters easier," he said.

Responding to this, the Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) Arief Prasetyo Adi said that the Ministry of Finance is ready to pay off debts to Bulog. It's just that, said Arief, he still needs approval from the Ministry of Social Affairs for several activities.

"For government debt, the Ministry of Finance is ready to pay Bulog. I have confirmed with the Minister of Finance (Sri Mulyani) directly. It only needs approval from the Ministry of Social Affairs for several outstanding activities yesterday," said Arief.