Erick Thohir Supports Pindad To Provide Maung Cars For Ministerial Operations

Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir. (Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir opened his voice regarding President Prabowo Subianto's order to use domestic vehicles made by PT Pindad for ministers of the Red and White Cabinet and officials equivalent to ministers.

As is known, currently the official car used by the ministers for operations is Toyota Alphard.

Erick revealed that so far Pindad has prepared according to orders from the Ministry of Defense (Kemenhan) approximately 4,600 vehicles of the Maung Garuda type for the next 2 years.

"The production allocation is there. Is there an additional order from the ministry to ask the President Director of Pindad again, so that this line of production is projected not to become another issue later," he said when met at the Ministry of Transportation, Jakarta, Tuesday, October 29.

Furthermore, Erick admitted, the Ministry of SOEs is also in the capacity to encourage increased use of domestic goods.

"We support how domestic production must be increased. There must be stages that don't have to be done today, the production line must be arranged. The president director of pindad knows that," he said.

Previously, the President Director of PT Pindad, Abraham Mose, admitted that his party was able to produce Maung to be used as operational vehicle for the ministers of the Red and White Cabinet of the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka government.

The use of Maung as ministerial operational vehicle is an instruction from President Prabowo Subianto.

"If the president has instructed this, Pindad must be able. Because of this directive, of course, it cannot be separated from the support in terms of production facilities to supporting infrastructure," he said in an official statement, Monday, October 28.

Pindad, continued Abraham, really appreciates President Prabowo Subianto's statement showing a strong commitment to empowering and using domestic products, as well as in the future having an independent automotive industry.

"This is an extraordinary direction and concrete action from Mr. President Prabowo Subianto towards the alignment of the domestic industry by providing opportunities for us PT Pindad so that we have the car or automotive industry," said Abraham.

Furthermore, Abraham said that Pindad is currently still waiting for a follow-up to the directive.

"Because this is also related to the procurement process from each Ministry and agency," he explained.