The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician held a meeting on Wednesday with Erick at the SOE Ministry office at about 9:30 a.m. He left the location half an hour later.

“I was asked to join one of the SOEs. I’m ready as long as it is for the country. Any position is possible. What is important is that I would help the country,” Ahok said after meeting with Erick, as quoted by Antara.

He did not know when he would officially join the SOE. “Maybe in December or November, I don’t know.”

It is not known which state firm Ahok will be joining, but lawmakers, who were quick to welcome the news, said Ahok’s straightforward, no-nonsense personality would fit a strategic state company that needs a performance boost such as energy giant Pertamina, electricity company PLN or flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.

There are currently four SOEs with vacant president director posts: Indonesia’s largest state lender Bank Mandiri, housing lender Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN), mining holding company Inalum and PLN. Pertamina is also said to be on the lookout for a new president director.

Lawmaker Bambang Patijaya of the Golkar Party said he saw potential for Ahok to lead an SOE, saying that Ahok should be appointed to lead Pertamina or PLN.

“We need Ahok’s character and his leadership style to fix the performance of some SOEs. We think we need someone special to do it,” he said.

House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing state firms, trade and industry called on the government to place Ahok at an SOE with poor performance.

“Pak Ahok’s leadership is good enough to improve the SOEs performance,” the Commission’s chairman Martin Manurung of the NasDem Party said, adding that Garuda Indonesia was one of them.

If Ahok is appointed president director, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo would later hold a Final Appraisal Team meeting to determine the new leaders of the currently vacant SOEs.

“As discussed, we hope that Pak Ahok can join us as soon as possible,” SOE Ministry staff member Arya Sinulingga said, confirming Ahok’s offer.

President Jokowi recommended Ahok to be appointed to an SOE top post, Arya said, adding: “Every vital position at the SOEs must be coordinated and consulted with the President.”

Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) Indonesia research director Piter Abdullah begs to differ, as he did not see Ahok’s potential to lead one of the SOEs.

“We have never known Ahok to be an entrepreneur, let alone the leader of a state-owned company [...] his character would not fit an SOE as they are profit-oriented despite being constrained by the SOE Law,” Piter told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Ahok is more suited to a government institution, he added.

Piter said SOE leaders should be a “character who can play safe” rather than Ahok’s assertive leadership style, adding that the constraints placed by the SOE Law “could easily put executives in a corrupt position when making certain mistakes”.

He added that it would make sense should Jokowi and Erick plan to reorganize the SOEs’ executive posts as “they would seek individuals who could support and realize their vision”.

Ahok, known for his close relationship with President Jokowi, was convicted of blasphemy in 2017 following a series of sectarian rallies staged by Muslim conservatives in the capital who demanded the then-governor be prosecuted for a speech they believed was blasphemous.

The case played a major role in Ahok’s defeat in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, which observers said was marred by deep polarization and religious tension. He was released from prison earlier this year after serving nearly two years. He joined the PDI-P afterwards.

“[My image] has been impaired in this republic,” said Ahok, who served as Jakarta deputy governor with Jokowi as governor from 2012 to 2014. “I am not being pessimistic in this case. I am just spelling out the facts.”

“The majority of religious people have branded me as a blasphemer, while upper-middle class residents, especially women, are angry about my divorce and my [remarriage]. So, in fact [my political career] is already over,” the 53-year-old said, as quoted by kompas.com in July.

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