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Analysis: Prabowo-Gibran campaign team named as SOE commissioners
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An attendant walks across a gas station belonging to state-owned energy holding company Pertamina in Kuningan, South Jakarta. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
T
he longstanding trend of granting key roles in state corporations to supporters of presidential and vice-presidential hopefuls has resurfaced. This time, members of the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka national campaign team (TKN) have been appointed as independent commissioners in state-owned enterprises (SOEs), drawing criticism for alleged political favoritism over merit-based qualifications.
The members of the Prabowo-Gibran TKN are Perindo Party politician Prabu Revolusi and Siti Zahra Aghnia, the wife of Muhammad Arief Rosyid Hasan, who serves as the head of the TKN’s youth voter wing. Appointed in February, Prabu has taken the position of independent commissioner for state-owned energy company PT Pertamina’s sub-holding PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional, while Siti Zahra is independent commissioner of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga.
The pair’s appointment is a stark contrast to the directive given to commissioners of SOEs before the campaign period. During that time, SOEs Minister Erick Thohir had ordered SOE commissioners to resign from their positions if they joined a presidential candidate’s campaign team. Erick’s special staffer Arya Sinulingga mentioned that the minister had even issued a regulation prohibiting SOE officials from getting involved in politics.
It is worth noting that Prabu and Siti’s recent appointments took place while the tabulation of the 2024 Election vote count was still ongoing. Also, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo named Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, a supporter of Prabowo-Gibran, as his agrarian and spatial planning minister. These suggest that Jokowi is facilitating the Prabowo-Gibran team to a smooth transition.
The appointment of these Prabowo-Gibran TKN members as independent commissioners is considered problematic, however, as it is perceived to be rooted in political reciprocity rather than competence and professionalism.
Critics have pointed out that the process of appointing commissioners for SOEs itself creates such loopholes, as there is no requirement to adhere to provisions similar to the appointment of directors, which involves an assessment mechanism by an independent institution. As a result, commissioners appointed by those in power can assume their roles without possessing sufficient competence.
A survey by Transparency International Indonesia shows that as of March 2021, approximately 14.7 percent of commissioner positions in SOEs were filled by individuals with backgrounds ranging from presidential candidate volunteers to political party members. Furthermore, 51.6 percent were occupied by civil servants representing the government as SOE shareholders. Meanwhile, only 17.6 percent consisted of professionals.
