By: Riasti Marta )*
BUMN Minister Erick Tohir’s decision to choose Basuki Tjahaja Purnama as Pertamina’s Chief Commissioner was considered the right step. Many parties are optimistic that the election of Basuki is a strategic step to eradicate the oil and gas mafia which has been undermining state finances.
The government is active in realizing a corruption-free Indonesia, which is reflected in the countermeasures of the country’s mafia. The center of attention is BUMN. Starting from financial difficulties, the formation of KPK directors, incidents of mass blackouts, Pertamina oil spill in Karawang waters, to the problems that plagued Garuda Indonesia. In fact, President Jokowi also claimed that the existence of these mafias made the government’s performance stagnate.
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) provides full support for the KPK’s move to target a number of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) as corruption defendants in the corporate sector. Febri Hendri as the Coordinator of the ICW Investigation Division, said that in addition to trapping those who practice corruption, the KPK must ensnare Corporations. Because, this impetus for corruption has great potential to come from corporations.
Meanwhile, in the Pertamina sector, President Joko Widodo and Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir officially lined up former Jakarta Governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok as Pertamina’s Chief Commissioner (Komut). Ferdy Hasiman as Alpha Research Database Indonesia Researcher also expressed his hopes to Ahok. Namely, to immediately eradicate the mafia, from upstream to downstream.
According to him, Pertamina really needs supervision. Because, Pertamina’s profit is still considered smaller than Petronas with a nominal of 11 billion US dollars in 2018. This makes Pertamina a mini oil company in the world even though its assets reached Rp 905.8 trillion in 2018. Whereas around 1990 Petronas gained knowledge from pertamina regarding how to process oil and gas fields, utilize technology, to how to innovate. However, over time, Petronas has gone a long way, while Pertamina is running like a snail.
He believes if this is caused by the presence of oil and gas mafia that has a strong and long network. He said that the mafia hoped that RI would continue to import fuel and LPG so that they would benefit so that it did not give Pertamina the opportunity to increase oil production in the upstream sector. He also stated that the mafia made the country dependent on imports, including not wanting Pertamina’s Managing Director to be clean, but tending to be compromising.
This is further compounded by the case of former Pertamina Energy Service (PES) Director Bambang Irianto, who has now been named a suspect by the KPK, even a few months ago. This mafia is still attached while looking for a gap how they try to play again, even looking for ways that President Jokowi can be captivated. Therefore, support for the appointment of Ahok is the right choice. Ahok is considered capable of being the President’s right hand to deprive the Mafia as the position of President Commissioner is assumed.
Ferdy Yakin, Ahok will make the performance of Pertamina’s Directors more comfortable related to processing upstream to downstream business. Ahok also needs to be vigilant if there are internal Pertamina people who want to wink with the oil and gas mafia.
Previously, the appointment of Ahok as the main commissioner (commut) of Pertamina harvested pros and cons in the public. In fact, Ferdy is of the opinion that Ahok, who is popular with an executor, is more suitable to serve as President Director. While the work of commissioners is not in the operational part, but supervises directors and evaluates work programs. Nevertheless Ferdy said that the name Ahok can still make the mobsters in disarray.
Therefore, the Directors must be able to work well, considering that Ahok is a figure who never retreats in executing. Ahok did not hesitate to strip the corruptor’s face into the public sphere. The election of Ahok is suspected as Jokowi’s step in the rejuvenation of the Balongan Refinery, Cilacap, Duri and also others in order to suppress the import figures. Jokowi “getun” when he put the commissioner of the former Military officials up to the Former Minister of SOE, who obviously did not help much in the field of supervision.
The directors were previously deemed incompetent in managing SOEs. In fact, the President has granted management rights to the Mahakam Block of the total E&P. Including the Rokan Block from Chevron Indonesia and several oil and gas blocks operated by foreign parties to Pertamina. Ferdy said that Ahok kudu bin Necessary to fight the mafia!
Eradicating corrupt practices from the bottom line is the most appropriate step. Plus carrying the name of the Former Governor of DKI Jakarta, Ahok can increase the optimism of the government in order to suppress the polemic that is anxious.
)* The author is a social political observer