The Repainting Of The Presidential Plane In The Midst Of The COVID-19 Pandemic Raises Criticism

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The repainting of the Indonesian Presidential Aircraft-1 or BBJ 2 has caused criticism because it was carried out in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is considered insensitive to the current conditions in the country and is considered a waste of the budget.

The news of the repainting of the Boeing 737-800 was originally conveyed by aviation observer Alvin Lie via his Twitter account. He said repainting the plane lacked urgency and wasted money that could have been allocated to more pressing needs.

"Today it's still a spree to change the color of the presidential plane," wrote Alvin on his personal Twitter account quoted on Tuesday, August 3.

He predicts that repainting the plane from a combination of blue and white to red and white will cost a fantastic amount. Alvin predicts that the government has issued a budget of up to 100-150 thousand US dollars or in rupiahs of around Rp. 1.4 billion to Rp. 2.1 billion.

Researcher of the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) Gunardi Ridwan also expressed his criticism and asked President Jokowi to apologize for the painting of the plane. Moreover, the budget spent is not small.

"I think the president needs to confirm and apologize to the public, so that there will be no chaos in the community and maintain the authority of the central government," said Gunardi.

He considers the repainting of the BBJ 2 aircraft a waste and not an urgent matter so it doesn't need to be done at this time.

"I also don't know how often the president uses the presidential plane or helicopter. If the schedule is down due to the pandemic situation, it is better if the budget is diverted to sectors that need it more," said Gunardi.

The criticism that came from the painting of the plane was then responded to by the Head of the Presidential Secretariat (Kasetpres) Heru Budi Hartono. He said this step was not a form of waste because it did not take the budget from handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heru explained that the painting had been planned for a long time or about two years ago, namely in 2019. The color change was carried out to commemorate the 75th Indonesian Independence Day in 2020.

"The painting of the BBJ 2 aircraft has been planned since 2019 in connection with the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia in 2020," Heru told reporters.

Why was it only painted in 2021?

Heru explained that the painting was only carried out this year because the process was actually in the same package as the Super Puma Helicopter and the RJ Plane. However, the BBJ 2 aircraft has not yet entered the routine maintenance schedule.

"So the first painting is the Super Puma Heli and the RJ Airplane," he said.

According to him, the maintenance must be carried out regularly and in accordance with the specified time interval. This is also in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

"The routine maintenance of the BBJ 2 aircraft that crashed in 2021 is a Check C maintenance according to the manufacturer's recommendations, so this year maintenance and painting with red and white nuances was carried out as previously planned. The timing is more efficient, because it is carried out in conjunction with the maintenance process," said Heru.

He emphasized that the budget for maintaining the presidential plane has been included in the state budget. Moreover, for funding the handling of COVID-19, the Ministry of State Secretariat has also refocused the budget on the 2020 State Budget and 2021 State Budget.

"The painting of this aircraft has been planned since 2019, and is expected to give pride to the nation and state," he said.

"We can also add that the maintenance and painting process is carried out domestically. So that it indirectly supports the domestic aviation industry, which is affected by the pandemic," he concluded.