The plan to import 105,000 pickup trucks from India for Koperasi Desa Merah Putih’s operations has drawn criticism from academics. A researcher from the UGM Center for Anti-Corruption Studies (Pukat UGM), Zaenur Rohman, considers the policy problematic in terms of transparency, accountability, and potential corruption risks.
According to Zaenur, the planned import of Mahindra Scorpio pickup vehicles from the Indian automotive company Mahindra & Mahindra is said to be carried out by the state-owned enterprise PT Agrinas to support the operations of village cooperatives. However, Zaenur noted that the acquisition process has not been accompanied by information transparency to the public or to the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI).
“This import plan was carried out without transparency to the public and without transparency to the DPR, and the procedures are unclear,” Zaenur said on Monday (Mar. 9) at the UGM campus.
He explained that although there is no legal obligation for state-owned enterprises to seek approval from the DPR for such an acquisition, the principle of transparency should still be upheld so that the legislative body can perform its oversight function.
“Strictly speaking, there may be no regulation violated by not requesting DPR approval, but in principle it violates transparency, preventing the DPR from exercising its oversight role,” he said.
Zaenur also highlighted the acquisition mechanism, which he considers to fall into a gray area. In the circulating scheme, the vehicles are imported by a state-owned enterprise, but will later be used by cooperatives that are institutionally neither part of the government nor state-owned enterprises.
According to him, this situation makes the procurement procedure unclear as to whether it should follow government acquisition mechanisms or the internal regulations of state-owned enterprises.
“Koperasi Desa Merah Putih is neither a state-owned enterprise nor a government body, creating a gray area because cooperatives are not bound by government acquisition procedures for goods and services,” he explained.
He added that an acquisition on such a large scale should still prioritize the principles of efficiency, transparency, and accountability, especially if conducted through a direct appointment scheme.
“The criticism is that the acquisition of this magnitude is carried out through direct appointment. What is behind that? Direct appointment does not meet acquisition principles that should prioritize efficiency and transparency,” said Zaenur.
Beyond governance concerns, he also warned that imports on such a massive scale could place pressure on the domestic automotive industry.
“When there is a colossal import of 105,000 units while domestic industries require orders, this will certainly put pressure on the national automotive sector,” he said.
He also argued that the policy was not supported by a feasibility study or verification of the actual needs of village cooperatives that would use the vehicles.
“This is a top-down policy rather than one based on cooperative needs. In fact, not all cooperatives necessarily require such vehicles,” he said.
Considering these issues, Zaenur believes the most appropriate step would be to halt the procurement plan and restart the process transparently and based on actual needs.
“In my view, risk mitigation should not involve fixing the process midway, but canceling it. The process should start from scratch and be based on the needs of each cooperative,” he stressed.
He also emphasized the importance of oversight by various state institutions regarding the acquisition plan. According to him, the DPR could summon relevant parties to provide explanations and, if necessary, exercise its inquiry rights. In addition, the Audit Board of Indonesia could audit the procurement process, while the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) would play a role in both prevention and enforcement if corruption is found.
“The fundamental principles must be procedural integrity, transparency, and system-based governance. Without these, a project of this scale is highly vulnerable to corruption,” he said.
Zaenur believes the vehicle import policy could become a massive project that poses risks to state financial governance if not managed transparently and accountably.
“This is a colossal and highly ambitious project that could be dangerous if it is not implemented in accordance with the principles of good governance,” he concluded.
Author: Astri Wulandari
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Jasmine Ferdian
Photo: Detikcom