KOMPAS.com – Minister for State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir admitted that he couldn’t stop thinking about the policy taken by the directors of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or KAI and PT Inka (Persero) regarding the polemic on imported KRL.
Erick Thohir revealed that he even had to reprimand the top leaders of the two BUMNs because he was judged to have overstepped him.
Because the two company directors even directly discussed it with other institutions without going through him as the person in charge of the state company.
“This is what I also reprimand the BUMN directors. If something happens, sit down with me first, don’t immediately involve all other ministers, I wasn’t told,” said Erick Thohir quoted on Thursday (4/5/2023).
The entrepreneur who owns the Mahaka Group said that there was no proper planning in procuring KRL carriages. In fact, users of this mass transportation mode always increase from year to year.
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He also regretted Inka’s financial performance. Where conditions are also fluctuating, especially on the cash flow side and Earning Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) alias income before interest, taxes and amortization.
“So I warn you, where are the projections for the next 5 years for growth in rail use?” said Erick Thohir.
“I asked to make a projection of what the growth would be like, then linked it to Inka’s condition. ‘Oh Inka can only get 50 cars because EBITDA is still like this, but we need 100 cars, meaning there must be a solution for 50 cars,'” he said again.
Erick Thohir said that he had reprimanded Inka’s directors because of this polemic. He said, the company certainly would not be able to produce KRL properly if its finances were bloody.
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“What is not good, EBITDA (PT Inka) is still negative, I warned them that, looking for a project is one thing but taking cash flow work but I can’t find it, so I can’t find it,” he said.
To help Inka’s negative finances, the Ministry of BUMN will propose an injection of APBN funds through state capital participation (PMN). The goal is that the company, which has an office in Madiun, is able to meet the KRL carriage production.
For information, Inka has been working with a company from Switzerland, Stadler Rail, to fulfill the demand for train cars. Some carriages are also marketed abroad.
He continued, so far the coordination between KAI as the parent company of PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) and Inka has also been poor. In fact, the need for new KRL carriages is urgent.
“Because of that, yesterday I had a meeting with the Coordinating Minister for Luhut, the Minister of Transportation, and the Minister of Industry, I proposed that KAI and Inka complete the supply chain first, then we will talk about needs, don’t each have books. After all, the Managing Director of Inka already has someone new from KAI, no? No more fuss,” said Erick Thohir.
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Regarding the import of used Japanese KRL
Meanwhile, quoted from Antara, Erick Thohir has also asked KAI to make projections for future passenger growth after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I have asked KAI to make projections for future passenger growth post-Covid-19, because during the pandemic the number of passengers was not the same as now,” said Erick Thohir.
Erick Thohir firmly believes that one of the public transportation solutions is the train, if Indonesia wants to reduce the use of private vehicles, reduce dependence on imported fuel as well as support the shift to electric vehicles.
“That’s why we are talking with Japan, especially when there will be the G7, we are talking about how to remap the condition of the existing railways in Java, Sumatra and Madura,” he said.
Even if it was in an emergency, he continued, his party would not mind the import of used KRL from Japan. That too with a note, there is no price inflation.
“We have to recalculate how many wagons we need. I refuse to import if there is a mark-up and I will ask BPKP to re-audit it if there is a mark-up. But if we need (import) then we are open, but we need to sit with the same data. And if there is corruption, I will brush it off,” said Erick.
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(Author: Yohana Artha Uly | Editor: Erlangga Djumena, Akhdi Martin Pratama)
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