Following In The Footsteps Of Belva, Andi Taufan Resigns From Jokowi's Special Staff

Andi Taufan Garuda Putra (Photo: Facebook Andi Taufan Garuda Putra)

JAKARTA - Andi Taufan Garuda Putra has resigned from the position of Special Staff (Stafsus) of President Joko Widodo. Andi is the second Stafsus to resign after Adamas Belva Devara.

Andi stated that he had submitted his resignation letter to Jokowi since April 17, 2020. After some time, Jokowi granted Andi's resignation.

"This resignation is based solely on my sincere desire to fully serve the economic empowerment of the community, especially those running micro and small businesses," said Andi in a written statement received by VOI, Friday, April 24.

Some time before resigning, Andi stumbled into a polemic because he used the official letterhead of the Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia to send letters to all districts in Indonesia.

In the aftermath, even though Andi has apologized, the public still demands that Jokowi remove Andi and re-evaluate the importance of the position of the millennial Special Staff. Now, Andi has granted the public's request.

Andi admitted that he had learned many valuable lessons during his tenure as Stafsus Jokowi. He admitted that during work he was not free from mistakes and apologized for what he had done.

"So many valuable lessons that I learned. I also did not escape from various shortcomings. For that, I once again apologize and will do my best to be better," he said.

Minister of State Secretary Pramono Anung confirmed that Andi's resignation was submitted to Jokowi. Pramono said that Jokowi understood the reasons behind Andi's resignation from the position he had just assumed for 5 months.

"The President appreciates Taufan's commitment to devote himself fully to strengthening the economy of the lower class, especially micro businesses. Because strengthening the lower class economy, especially MSMEs, has also been the President's concern so far," Pramono explained.

For information, the problems that dragged Andi started when he wrote a letter with the official head of the Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia which was drawn up on April 1. In the letter, Andi introduced himself to all sub-district heads in Indonesia as the President's Special Staff.

In the letter, there were two things that asked Andi to pay attention to the heads of the sub-districts. First, about providing education about the corona virus or COVID-19 which is currently spreading. It is PT Amartha Mikro Fintek (Amartha) which will carry out the education by sending officers to the field.

Second, Amartha will record the PPE needs at the puskesmas or other health services so that the implementation runs smoothly.

The existence of this letter has been criticized on social media for violating procedures and for fear of a conflict of interest. Andi is the CEO of Amartha or the company mentioned in the letter.

Warganet protested the letter for some time, Andi clarified. The clarification was no longer using letterhead bearing the RI Cabinet Secretariat logo and was made on April 14. He apologized for the letter that had been circulated earlier and withdrew the letter he sent to the sub-districts throughout Indonesia.

"The support is purely on the basis of humanity and at Amartha's expense and with public donations that will be accounted for in an accountable manner. Support is provided without using the state budget, either the APBN or APBD," said Andi in his clarification.

However, the apology and withdrawal of the letter were deemed insufficient. According to a member of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia Alvin Lie, this action is a form of maladministration. In addition, the Ombudsman assessed Andi was violating his duties as a special staff of President Jokowi.

"The task of the special staff is to provide input to the president. The special staff also does not have executive authority, let alone make outgoing letters, circulars," Alvin told VOI.

Apart from violating his duties, the Ombudsman also touched on the possibility of a conflict of interest because the company referred to in the letter was the company in which Andi played a role.