Denies Rental Of 1,000 Alphard, State Secretariat: Ministers And State Guests Take A Bus To The Location Of The IKN Ceremony

The atmosphere of the State Palace and the Garuda Palace can be seen from the IKN Nationalism Area, Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Secretary of the Ministry of State Secretariat (Setneg) Setya Utama said the Ministry of State Secretariat provided buses to mobilize invited guests who would attend a ceremony in the capital city of Nusantara (IKN), East Kalimantan.

He explained that the State Secretariat did not rent up to 1,000 Alphard cars to serve invited guests, as conveyed by an association in the news.

"Setneg does not rent a car, including Alphard with 1,000 units, because we will provide bus transportation for invitations to attend the RI Anniversary ceremony at IKN," explained Setya Utama in his statement, Wednesday, August 7.

He said the number of bus fleets prepared was also not as many as 1,000 units, but about 200 units regulated by the Ministry of Transportation together with the IKN Authority and the local government.

According to him, the bus is a priority vehicle that will be prioritized for use in the Central Government Core Area (KIPP) at IKN, for ceremony officers, invited guests, including ministers.

Meanwhile, the President's and Vice President's vehicles will be regulated by the Presidential Security Forces (Paspampres).

"Other vehicles used are for the series of Presidents of the Republic of Indonesia and First Lady as well as contingency vehicles such as spare vehicles and ambulances," he explained.

He said that operational vehicles to transport logistics such as trucks and box cars were also needed.

Previously, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno conveyed that the bus fleet prepared to serve invited guests consisted of conventional buses and electric buses, which amounted to availability.