Ibnu Sutowo's Anger Is Called The Culprit Of Pertamina's Chaos

Pertamina's President Director, Ibnu Sutowo, who served the longest in history, from 1968 to 1976. (Perpusnas)

JAKARTA - The power of Ibnu Sutowo to develop Pertamina is second to none. He was able to grow Pertamina from zero to become one of the giant State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN). Pertamina's business patterns also developed into sectors other than oil. From hotels to restaurants.

However, everything broke when he started mixing Pertamina's business with personal matters. Pertamina became mismanagement. All kinds of mass media criticized him for resigning. However, he instead criticized the mass media.

Ibnu Sutowo is not new to the Indonesian oil industry. He has been familiar with the world of oil since 1957. His power was even more visible when Sutowo led the State Company (now: BUMN) Pertamina in 1968.

Sutowo is confident that Pertamina can make a big profit in his hands. Moreover, he considers oil reserves in Indonesia promising. Pertamina, which he built from scratch, began to grow large. Sutowo began to think about expanding Pertamina's business line.

This step was taken so that Pertamina did not only rely on mere oils 'colams' as coffers of income. He and Pertamina began to look at the hotel business, insurance, and travel agencies. A revolutionary study, he said.

The fact is the opposite. Far from being burned. Pertamina was dragged into a loss camp. The practice of irregularities, allegations of corruption, and waste are believed to be musbab.

All of Pertamina's depravity is getting worse because the Indonesian people are clearly shown a luxurious lifestyle by Pertamina officials. Mainly, Sutowo's lifestyle, which often mixes personal affairs with Pertamina. Senior Journalist Mochtar Lubis revealed that Sutowo often collects capital from oil airlines to grow his personal business.

Not to mention, each Pertamina commemorates Birthday (HUT). Sutowo and his staff often hold Pertamina Anniversary abroad. As a result, Pertamina's debt accumulated. At that time it reached 10.5 billion US dollars. A sizeable amount. The push back to Sutowo poured in.

"And it makes us even more amazed is what he said" Sutowo - to Time Magazine: of course it is very difficult to separate Pertamina from Sutowo. After Ibnu Sutowo's clear confessions, after he firmly said it was very difficult to separate Pertamina and Sutowo, in our opinion, it is time for the government to find a new president director for Pertamina. "

"Because, a president director of a state company that mixes his interests with the interests of the company he leads is clearly not allowed to take long to lead the country's company," Mochtar Lubis said in the book Lecturer Mochtar Lubis in the Daily Indonesia Raya Volume 2 (1997).

Criticism is actually known as fuel to improve the situation. However, not in the eyes of Ibnu Sutowo. He felt harassed by the presence of various criticisms and criticisms. For him, a series of mass media who criticized him did not understand Pertamina's upstream affairs. All of them spoke arbitrarily, calling Sutowo the culprit of Pertamina's chaos.

He said Pertamina's crisis condition was the result of the actions of other parties. Not Sutowo's side. For him, he has taken all kinds of right steps. However, there are other parties who want his career to be destroyed. Sutowo himself did not understand for sure who took the move.

The only thing that Sutowo remembers was that he was annoyed that he was not playing with the entire national mass media. Pertamina's case of buying tankers at a price is too expensive, to Ibnu Sutowo who often mixes personal interests and Pertamina, especially.

The anger peaked with the presence of the Great Indonesia Koran which became the leader of the mass media who criticized Sutowo and Pertamina. The newspaper, led by Mochtar Lubis, made Sutowo the most annoyed was not a joke.

All because Indonesian newspapers often attack, even harass Sutowo and Pertamina. Sutowo also criticized the newspaper back. Even though the New Order government intervened by firing Sutowo from Pertamina in 1976 to reduce the emotions of all Indonesian people.

Koran Indonesia Raya also wrote, he said, Pertamina is controlled by Ibnu Sutowo along with a handful of insiders who enrich themselves and harm the state. Pertamina's work, he said, jumped out of the oil sector, only to mean enriching themselves and hindering private initiatives.

"Indonesia Raya also accuses Pertamina of ignoring the savings of oil sources so that supplies don't dry up too quickly. He also accused the purchase of the Neuw Guinea Petroleum Maatschappij airline from Bealnda, which suffered losses, could cause Pertamina's loss which he said meant was detrimental to the state too," said Ibnu Sutowo as written by Ramadhan KH in the book Ibnu Sutowo: It's Time for Me to Tell the Story (2008).