Ogahpai Urges Debate On Downstreaming, Coordinating Minister Luhut: Faisal Basri Has Never Seen A Mining

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan admitted that he did not want to respond to the invitation from economists here, Facial Basri, to argue about the downstream nickel program run by the government.

Luhut said he was reluctant to respond to the challenges from Faisal Basri because the senior economy had never seen mines firsthand.

"He (Faisal Basri) has never seen a mine, why do I serve people like that?," he said when met at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Jakarta, written Thursday, February 8.

Luhut said that Faisal Basri had submitted the invitation to the Deputy for Investment and Mining Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs, Septian Hario Seto.

Therefore, Luhut assessed that his subordinates were sufficient to play the challenge of Faisal Basri to argue over the downstream program.

"He has spoken to Seto, that's enough," he said.

Previously, Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) senior economist Faisal Basri criticized the downstream program run by the Joko Widodo (Jokowi) government. According to him, the downstream program has a misguided concept.

Faisal also regretted that not a single presidential candidate (candidate) had mentioned that the downstreaming carried out by Jokowi was a misguided concept in the fifth debate of the 2024 Presidential Election (Pilpres) which was held last night.

Downstreaming is a misguided concept. No one says it's heretical, nothing (in the presidential election debate). This concept is very misguided," he said in an Indef discussion, at the Manhattan Hotel, Jakarta, Monday, February 5.

He also challenged the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan for a debate to prove that Jokowi's downstream program has a misguided concept.

In fact, Faisal said he would invite the Anies-Muhaimin National Campaign Team (Timnas AMIN) Thomas Trikasih Lembong or Tom Lembong to participate in the debate.

"I can debate with Luhut openly. You just organize it. I'm with Tom Lembong both, against Luhut Pandjaitan with Seto (Deputy for Investment and Mining Coordination at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs)," he said.