Jokowi Asks For The BTS Tower Project To Be Continued

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs as well as Plt. The Minister of Communication and Information Mahfud MD gave a statement after meeting President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace complex, Jakarta, Monday (22/5/2023). (ANTARA/Indra Arief Pribadi)

JAKARTA - Acting Minister of Communication and Information Mahfud MD said President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) ordered that the Base Transceiver Station (BTS) tower project at the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kemnkominfo) continue to meet people's needs for telecommunication infrastructure.

"Because it has been designed as a strategic development policy strategy for people's services since 2006 and has been running well every year, it has been accounted for, so we are trying to continue," said Mahfud MD after meeting President Jokowi at the Presidential Palace complex, Jakarta, reported by ANTARA, Monday, May 22.

Mahfud MD went before President Jokowi this Monday to provide a report regarding his readiness to become the Acting Minister of Communication and Information after Johnny Plate was named a suspect in the BTS procurement project by the Attorney General's Office investigators.

Mahfud said that if the BTS project was stopped at this time, the community would suffer losses. The procurement of telecommunications infrastructure such as BTS, he said, has become the people's need.

"Therefore, the President's direction, don't cut it off, try to keep it going. Try to get all the money back, which is still dark everywhere and operated there. Of course the law will do that," said Mahfud, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Law, Politics and Security (Menkopolhukam).

Although the BTS project continues, Mahfud guarantees that law enforcement will be carried out firmly against the perpetrators of corruption in the BTS project. Currently, the BTS corruption alleged project, which cost the state up to Rp. 8 trillion, is being investigated by the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

"Regarding the project, we will find a way so that it continues. Because I have called the former minister, the former Minister of Communication and Information. "Sir, this has been going well from year to year according to schedule, how come it's only broken now?", That's it," said Mahfud.

Mahfud explained that the BTS procurement project had been running since 2006. From that year until 2019, the project went smoothly and well.

However, said Mahfud, problems arose in the 2020-2021 budget year with the procurement of BTS projects worth IDR 28 trillion.

Until March 2023, said Mahfud, budget users reported that there were 1,100 towers or realized towers of the 4,200 targeted. Then, inspections were carried out by satellites and the results were 958 towers. However, Mahfud said, of the 958 towers, it was not known whether they could be used or not.

"Of the 958 towers, it is not known whether it can be used or not because 8 samples have been taken and none of them functioned according to specifications. But it was assumed first that it was true and that the value was only around Rp. 2.1 trillion. So there is still misuse of funds or unclear funds that are not accounted for in court amounting to Rp. 8 trillion," said Mahfud.

Mahfud said investigators at the Attorney General's Office would also track down the flow of funds misused in the BTS procurement project. The Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of the AGO has named six suspects in this case, namely Anang Achmad Latif (AAL) as the President Director of BAKTI Kemenkominfo, Gahole Menak (GMS) as President Director of PT Mora Telematika Indonesia, Yohan Suryanto (YS) as an expert on Human Development (HUDEV) at the University of Indonesia in 2020, Mukti Ali (MA) a suspect from PT Huwaei Technology Investment, and Irwan Hermawan (IH) as Commissioner of PT Solitchmedia Synergy, and former Minister of Communication and Information Jhonny G. Plate.