Chitra Paramaesti, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo reluctant to provide a statement regarding the leaked conversation between the State-owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Rini Soemarno and the state-owned electricity company PLN director Sofyan Basri which recently circulated on social media.
"I did not like to give a comment until everything is clear," said the president in Grand Sahid Hotel, Jakarta, today.
The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan conveyed the same concern. He claimed to have yet aware of the recording. "I don't know, I haven't listened to it yet," he said.
The recording was uploaded to a social media account on Instagram under named @jokerpolitik last Friday, April 27. In its caption noted, "Finally the plot reveals."
Meanwhile, Minister Rini asserted she will consider reporting the uploader. "We'll see later, just wait," she said.
The SOE Ministry's Secretary Imam Apriyanto Putro confirmed the conversation of Minister Rini and PLN director. However, he deemed the circulating recording was edited and cut.
Imam recalled the conversation took place last year and the project on energy supply brought up in the recording was not actualized considering it would not bring an optimal benefit for both the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina and PLN.
According to Imam, the two discussed the investment plan for energy supply projects involving PLN and Pertamina. In full, said Imam, in the conversation, Sofyan Basir wants to ensure that PLN gets a significant share of the shares in the project.
"We reiterate that the whole discussion is in line with the duty of the SOE Minister to ensure that all SOEs are run on the basis of Good Corporate Governance (GCG)," said Imam in Solo, in a written statement on Saturday 28 April 2018.
Imam further said the SOE ministry will take a legal measure against the spreading and editing conversation, arguing that would mislead the public towards the minister.