Luhut's New Task Of Managing Cooking Oil Makes Jokowi Leaving PDI-P, What Is The Response Of Banteng Cadre?

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has again given a special task to the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. This time, Luhut was asked to take care of the cooking oil problem because the price was still high and the stock was scarce in the market.

"Suddenly the President (Jokowi) ordered me to take care of cooking oil. So since three days ago, I started dealing with the problem of the scarcity of cooking oil," said Luhut when opening the virtual GAMKI 60th Anniversary Peak Celebration, which was broadcast via YouTube. Gamki Balikpapan, Saturday, May 21. Luhut hopes that the cooking oil issue will be resolved as soon as it is handled. "We hope that it won't be too long before we finish it," he said. This new assignment to Luhut certainly drew sharp attention. The reason is, Luhut is also trusted by Jokowi to be the Chair of the Water Resources Council. In fact, Luhut acted until the discourse of postponing the 2024 election became a polemic.

Political observer from Al Azhar University Indonesia, Andriadi Achmad, assessed that the appointment of Luhut to deal with the cooking oil issue was too excessive and institutionally ethical.

Because, according to him, Luhut has many tasks that do not match his background as Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments. In fact, Luhut has even been called the minister of all affairs.

"Furthermore, LBH (Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, ed) seems to play the role of Prime Minister. Jokowi should have appointed another minister who matches his background to take care of the cooking oil problem," Andriadi told VOI, Tuesday, May 24. Andriadi assessed that the new task assigned to Luhut further showed that Jokowi had more confidence in the senior Golkar politician than ministers from the PDIP which is his party.

"Jokowi's appointment of a new assignment for LBH shows that Jokowi has more faith in LBH than others," he said.

According to Andriadi, Jokowi's trust in Luhut has widened the PDIP's dislike of the Java-Bali Emergency PPKM Coordinator. Moreover, recently Luhut was often 'bugged' by bull party cadres.

"Later I read that LBH was attacked by PDIP cadres like Masinton Pasaribu. It indirectly shows that there is disharmony between PDIP and LBH, Jokowi's main supporter," said Andriadi.

In fact, what has recently been warmed by Jokowi seems to indicate that he does not support the champion of the PDIP, Puan Maharani, to become a presidential candidate in 2024.

"Not to mention that in a recent meeting, there was a statement indicating that Jokowi favored one of the presidential candidates, Ganjar Pranowo, rather than Puan Maharani," he said.

With Jokowi's successive signals, Andriadi predicts that towards the end of the government period, the relationship between the head of state and the PDI-P will become increasingly strained. Jokowi, it is possible to be closer to Luhut's camp. Moreover, Golkar is considered to be carrying the Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo.

"My prediction is that in the two years before the end of President Jokowi's term in office, President Jokowi will be more distant with PDIP as his main supporter and closer to the LBH camp and presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo," concluded Andriadi.

So, how did PDIP respond to finding Luhut to be Jokowi's most trusted person?

Of course, the appointment of Luhut Pandjaitan to take care of the messy cooking oil in the country was criticized by the PDIP. Member of Commission VI DPR RI from the PDIP faction, Deddy Yevri Sitorus, assessed that President Jokowi's move was not the right decision. According to him, cooking oil should be the task of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Minister of Trade, and Minister of Industry. "So this takes over the work of three ministers at once," said Deddy in a written statement, Tuesday, May 24.

Not only adding to the burden of Luhut's duties as Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Coordinator of PPKM Java-Bali, and a number of other positions, Deddy assessed that the task of managing cooking oil could create gaps for other ministers.

"Apart from adding to the LBP's already piling workload, the appointment will only make Luhut look like the only government solution and have the potential to cause disharmony in the cabinet," said Deddy.

Moreover, Luhut is also the Chairman of the National Water Resources Council. So, said Deddy, it was as if everything was handled by Luhut alone.

"It gives the impression that no one else can work other than LBP," he added. Moreover, Deddy said that Luhut's appointment also has the potential to raise issues of conflict of interest. The senior Golkar politician is known to be close to current figures. legal problems in the case of cooking oil.

In addition, said Deddy, previously there was an issue of Luhut's conflict of interest in the antigen and PCR business when he was the commander of handling the COVID-19 pandemic. "I'm worried that the issue of Pak Luhut's closeness to palm oil players will soon become a topic of discussion in the community. It's a pity that Pak LBP will be the target of rumors again," he said. Deddy added, actually the solution to the cooking oil problem is a matter of consistency in law enforcement. Then, building a distribution system that closes the space for speculation, manipulation and smuggling. "The key word is in the law enforcement process, on the system and not on personal figures, because there is already a mechanism for that," said Deddy.

"So please the authorities in accordance with laws and regulations to carry out their duties. And I personally hope that the legal process at the Attorney General's Office will continue to run professionally and in accordance with existing regulations," he concluded.