By: Dian Retnowati *
Prabowo Subianto is known as a controversial figure. Career, personal life, character, and even the business world cannot be separated from controversy. Having many companies does not mean that Prabowo is free from the problems that hit his business. Bankruptcy, delinquent salaries, not paying taxes, and hiring foreign workers are among the problems that prove that Prabowo is not good at managing his company.
March 2018, the Nusantara Paper Workers Union (SKPN) held a demonstration at the Parliament Building because PT Kertas Nusantara employees’ salary and severance pay had not been paid since 2014. PT Kertas Nusantara (KN) is a paper company owned by Prabowo Subianto located in Berau District, Kalimantan East. The workers chose the DPR rather than going to Prabowo’s house, because they thought the DPR as a people’s representative could help solve their problems. What was done by Prabowo was enough to injure what he had signed with KSPI. Because, it is necessary to know more than 5,000 workers in PT KN are not paid.
In addition to delinquent payments, it turns out that PT KN is in arrears in tax of Rp.26 billion to the regional government (Pemda) of Berau. The issue of tax arrears, has entered the realm of the Berau District Prosecutor’s Office (Kejari). The Attorney General’s Office has sent a summons to the management of PT KN to immediately pay off tax arrears to the Berau Regency Government. The case was quite tarnishing Prabowo. The amount of Rp. 26 billion for Prabowo must be a small amount. Because, a few months ago members of the Prabowo Party revealed that Prabowo was a fairly wealthy presidential candidate. If tax alone does not pay off, it can be interpreted that Prabowo’s finances are quite difficult. What is the capital for nominating as a candidate?
Besides that, speaking of PT KN, the company is actually going to go bankrupt. This was included in the news several times. In fact, Chinese investors have taken over the company. At least four Chinese investors have returned to Berau. It’s just that, until now he has not known what kind of investment is targeted by the four entrepreneurs. Based on available information, the four investors plan to take over PT Kertas (KN) in the Mangkajang area, Pesayan Village, Sambaliung District. Because, when he arrived in Berau, the group headed straight to the location of the ex-company that had not operated for a long time. This question is actually quite evil. As if in that question doubted Prabowo’s financial strength to become presidential candidate. The cases above show Prabowo’s financial strength which is currently dying.
Another thing that injured Prabowo was PT Bintang Delapan or PT Bintang 08 owned by Prabowo Subianto, hiring foreign workers (TKA) viral in social media. In the @Gerindra account, write, Want to go abroad? To Morowali only! If you visit the area in Central Sulawesi, you like being in Ghuangzhou or other parts of the province in China because of the large number of Chinese foreign workers in the area. “Creating 10 million jobs. But, for whom? “These questions need attention. Because, we need to pay attention to who is spreading the issue of Foreign Workers (TKA) and who is hiring them. If this is true, then what was done by Prabowo violated a number of contract signing with KSPI. Especially for TKA cases.
Prabowo may have many companies, but the facts prove that the management of the company is still unclear. The first evidence of overdue tax shows that as an ordinary citizen Prabowo is like that, disorganized and arbitrary, what if he becomes a leader. The second proof of waiting for employee salaries from 2014 shows that the campaign and pro-promises to workers and the small people are nonsense. The third proof of the large number of foreign workers in Prabowo’s company shows that the Prabowo camp has been slandering the President Joko Widodo’s government, even though he himself hired the TKA. The fourth proof regarding the bankruptcy of the company, clearly shows that Prabowo does not deserve to be a leader. Imagine, leading a simple company has gone bankrupt, how to lead the country. Want to make the country go bankrupt?
*) Student of the Faculty of Economics at UB Malang