No Sanctions, Erick Thohir No Problem Said Aqil Supports Anies-Cak Imin

Special Staff to the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Arya Sinulingga. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir has no problem with the President Commissioner of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or KAI Said Aqil Siroj, providing political support to Presidential Candidates and Vice Presidential Candidates Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar alias Cak Imin.

The Special Staff of the Minister of SOEs, Arya Sinulingga, said that Said Aqil's support for the Anies-Cak Imin candidate pair was a personal political attitude and was not on behalf of KAI as a BUMN in the transportation sector.

Arya explained that because they were on behalf of themselves, there were no sanctions that had to be given. Said Aqil himself is a former chairman of PBNU.

Furthermore, Arya assessed that the statement of support conveyed by Said Aqil while attending the 45th HAUL of Kiai Bisri Syansuri at the Mamba'ul Ma'arif Denanyar Islamic Boarding School, Jombang, East Java, was not part of a political campaign.

"If he supports personally, he also said who I am, the chairman of PBNU is also not, is it not," Arya said when met at the JCC, Senayan Jakarta, Monday, January 15.

According to him, everyone has political rights, including providing support to the pair of candidates who are competing in the 2024 general election (Pemilu).

"Supporting without a campaign, go ahead, he (Said Aqil) is not a campaign," he said.

"Emang with him being a Commissioner, then his voting rights are lost? No. What are our rules? If you are involved in a campaign (just not allowed). That's like I support this, yes, that's the same as Pak Ahok too, he's the same as Pak Ahok," concluded Arya.

For your information, commissioners, directors, and employees of SOEs are not allowed to engage in campaigns or bring company attributes for practical political interests.

The prohibition is stated through Circular (SE) Number S-560/S.MBU/10/2023. The Ministry of SOEs as the holder of the law emphasizes BUMN as a free business entity and practical political interests.

Therefore, it is necessary to maintain neutrality both in the parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies that are consolidated in the company.