Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has confirmed the plan by the government to use Maung cars produced by PT Pindad as official vehicles for ministers and state officials, apparently awaiting the readiness of the State-owned military vehicle manufacturer’s mass production capacity before making a final decision.
“So, the spirit is that we must have our own cars,” Prasetyo told the media at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
According to him, President Prabowo Subianto wants the vehicles that will be used by government officials to come from domestic production, in accordance with the spirit of reducing dependence on imported goods.
The need for official vehicles for the government is currently quite large. Prabowo’s government, which consists of a total of 136 personnel, including ministers, deputy ministers, and special presidential envoys, is expected to immediately switch to using Pindad vehicles.
However, Prasetyo emphasized that this decision still has to consider Pindad’s production capabilities.
“Let’s look at [Pindad’s] production capabilities first. If the plan is for all [officials], it’s not certain that it iscapable,” he said.
Head of the Presidential Communications Office, Hasan Nasbi, also said that President Prabowo’s direction to use the Maung applies to all ministers, deputy ministers, and heads of agencies.
“Pak Prabowo’s direction during the retreat was for all ministers, deputy ministers and heads of agencies to use the Maung official car made by Pindad,” Hasan said, while referring to the three-day gathering of the Red-and-White Cabinet at the National Military Academy compound in Magelang, Central Java, over the weekend.
If Maung is determined as official car, the scheme chosen will likely be direct purchase, not rent, as an investment step for the government.
The use of Maung as official cars for cabinet members and high-ranking government officials has drawn controversy, particularly after Deputy Minister of Finance, Anggito Abimanyu, publicly stated that he would start using the Maung next week as a replacement for the Alphard which is currently his official vehicle
“Next week I will use the Maung car, the Pindad car. Because pak Prabowo has suggested, next week there will be no more imported goods as echelon 1 and ministerial cars,” Anggito said while addressing the 15th Anniversary Celebration of the Vocational School of Gadjah Mada University 2024 on Monday, October 28, 2024
The Ministry of Finance, however, issued an official statement on Tuesday, suggesting that Anggito’s statement was delivered not in the context of the government’s plan, but rather as a spirit to strengthen and support the use of domestic products.
Spokesman of the Ministry of Finance, Deni Surjantoro,said that it is important for the ministry to clarify the matter so that the public knows the context of the Deputy Minister of Finance’s statement.
