Regarding Politicians As Commissioner Of SOEs, Special Staff Erick Thohir: There Is No Prohibition

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

JAKARTA - Special Staff (Staffsus) of the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), Arya Sinulingga said, there is no prohibition for politicians to become commissioners in state-owned companies.

As long as it is not an active member of the DPR and does not have a position in a political party, it all doesn't matter.

Arya's statement answered about a number of Gerindra Party politicians and supporters of the elected president, Prabowo Subianto, who became a commissioner at a state-owned company.

"What is certain is that the name BUMN supports state-owned companies. So it is only natural that for example we seek from various backgrounds, and political backgrounds are not prohibited, there is no prohibition," he said at the BUMN Ministry Office, Jakarta, Wednesday, June 12.

According to Arya, figures who have a political background are needed. The reason is, vital decisions in SOEs often require political approaches because they must go through the approval of the DPR RI.

The policies and big decisions in BUMN must be approved by the DPR. Want a merger, DPR, want a holding, DPR, want an IPO, DPR, want to be disbanded, DPR. Want to get PMN, assignments, DPR. So many policies in BUMN are related to politics, different from the private sector. Indeed, in the private sector, a merger needs to go to the DPR? Approval? Nothing, "he explained.

Arya said that the appointment of politicians to sit on the board of commissioners of state-owned companies is not the first time this has been done at this time.

He said, during the reign of the 3rd President Bachruddin Jusuf or BJ Habibie until the era of the 6th President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) also did the same thing.

"From the beginning, SOEs exist, until today SOEs exist, there must be politics. Indeed, Mr. SBY's era was no political person? Indeed, during Gus Dur's time there were no political people? Indeed, Mr. BJ Habibie's era wasn't there? Mrs. Megawati didn't exist? All of them, even during Pak Jokowi's time before, "he said.

Although political backgrounds are not prohibited, Arya said that it does not mean that his party chooses an incompetent figure.

He ensured that the figure who occupied the chair of commissioner had gone through a selection.

"We appointed a competent commissioner, and the process was there. There must be a process, fit and proper test, everything has a process, look for it according to its needs. Background, we take various backgrounds, that's what we take. So everything must be okay," he said.

For example, continued Arya, Grace Natalie who sits on the chair of commissioner of MIND ID. Arya said Grace has a strong background in the media field.

For your information, Deputy Chairperson of the National Campaign Team (TKN) Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka in the 2024 presidential election has a background as a journalist and is often a news anchor or news anchor on national television stations such as SCTV, ANTV to TvOne.

"Timah cases are still long. This requires people who can later support them in supervision and so on, media matters. And I don't think Mrs. Grace Natalie needs to be doubted about that," he explained.