Smart Is Not Enough, SOE Directors And Commissioners Are Considered To Be 'moral'

Minister of BUMN, Erick Thohir. (Photo: Ministry of BUMN)

JAKARTA - State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Minister Erick Thohir said directors and commissioners of state-owned companies must have or hold moral principles. This is because intelligence is not enough to lead a state-owned company.

The Morals referred to here are Mandate, Competent, Harmonious, Loyal, Adaptive, and Cooperative. Erick assessed that BUMNs do not lack smart people to become leaders, but they lack Moral values.

"We do not lack smart people and great people, but of course it is not enough. Because capability alone cannot, capability must be in line with competence. The most important basis is morals as core values," he said, at the launch of the book Akhlak Untuk Negeri, Wednesday January 6th.

Because of that, Erick admitted that since the beginning of his tenure he was diligent in 'cleaning' with the hope that at the end of his position, he could leave BUMN a legacy or a legacy that could be continued when he was no longer in office.

However, the former Inter Milan boss admits that it is not easy to make changes in BUMN bodies. Even so, he did not give up and continued to reform the work culture in the ministry he led.

"The challenge (applying morals) is really tough, really. But God willing, we try and hopefully if this goes well, it will be fundamental for both BUMN and the ecosystem around BUMN," he explained.

Morals are the basis for the success of BUMN

Erick hopes that the book entitled Akhlak untuk Negeri can become a milestone for BUMN's success in local and international markets. Erick explained, it stands for Akhlak. First, the mandate is that BUMNs try to hold fast to the trust of the Indonesian people.

Second, competent, namely competent and continue to learn to develop capabilities because we are not satisfied quickly. Third, harmony is the key, harmony in working together cares for each other and respects differences.

"This is our key in carrying out our daily lives," he said.

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The fourth is loyal, this is very important in prioritizing the interests of the nation and state. Fifth, adaptive is intended so that BUMN employees continue to innovate, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic we are challenged to change and produce innovations.

The last one is cooperative, which is to build synergic cooperation between BUMN, private sector and society.

"Morals are the basis of a success proclaimed by BUMN to build a reputation. We hope that BUMN will not only be good at home, but also worldwide," he said.

To achieve this success, he said, corporate management must undergo a transformation. Moreover, BUMN is an extension of the state's hand or as a development agent that also manages the country's wealth.

Morals Must Start from the Boss of the BUMN

Former Minister for State-Owned Enterprises, Tanri Abeng, said the main focus of state-owned companies is efficiency followed by effective allocation. This includes not practicing KKN.

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According to Tanri, directors and commissioners must be able to understand good corporate governance. If not, it is not impossible that BUMN will be able to experience corruption cases. As happened at PT Asabri.

As for good corporate governance, what Tanri means includes 5 principles, namely accountability, responsibility, transparency, fairness and ethical behavior. He said that these five principles were in line with the Moral principles applied by BUMN Minister Erick Thohir.

"What needs to be done so that the message and hopes from the Minister of BUMN in upholding legacy can be realized? If I may suggest, we need to start from the BUMN leadership itself, namely the directors and commissioners to implement Moral principles. So here it covers the prohibition of KKN practices," he said. Tanri.

Tantri assessed that in leading a state-owned company it is also important to imitate the success of multinational corporations, so that they can achieve their dreams of becoming world class.

"Emulating the success of multinational corporations such as GE (General Electric), Shell, Toyota etc., corporate governance with international standards needs to be consistently applied by all directors and commissioners of BUMN," he said.

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