Heru Budi Denies Appointing Azas Tigor As Commissioner Of The LRT To Silence Critics

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono (Diah Ayu/VOI)

JAKARTA - Acting (Pj) Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono denied the assumption that the appointment of Azas Tigor Nainggolan as Commissioner of PT LRT Jakarta was a way to silence the critics of the DKI Provincial Government. "No (the appointment of Azas Tigor to silence critics). To be able to monitor the LRT, quickly build it," said Heru when met at Kamal Muara, North Jakarta, Tuesday, March 28. He explained, he appointed Azas Tigor as Commissioner of BUMD for transportation so that the urban policy observer could help accelerate the continuation of the LRT development phase 1B with the Velodrome-Manggarai route. "He said transportation observers can help accelerate the development of LRT to Manggarai," said the Head of the Presidential Secretariat. As information, Azas Tigor is an urban policy observer who has often criticized the policy of the DKI Provincial Government since Anies Baswedan was still the Governor of DKI Jakarta. Appointment of Azas Tigor as Commissioner of BUMD in the transportation sector was made to the decisions of shareholders (KPPS) outside the usual general meeting of shareholders dated March 21, 2023. Azas Tigor has now replaced the Projiyati Tatak which was removed from the position of Commissioner of the LRT as of November 14, 2022. Tatak is a former member of the Governor's Team for the Acceleration of Development (TGUPP) DKI during Anies's tenure.

The appointment of Azas Tigor as Commissioner of the Jakarta LRT is considered to have a certain political purpose. This is said to be a way to silence the critics of the DKI Provincial Government. "It seems that (Azas Tigor's appointment as Commissioner of the LRT) seems to be to minimize or silence the critics of the DKI Provincial Government so that Pak Azas does not do much of the criticism by making him a commissioner," said a political observer from Al Azhar University, Ujang Komarudin.