Bambang Patijaya Urges PDIP Not to Make Baseless Accusations Over PLN Coal Issue

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Bambang Patijaya, Chair of Commission XII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) from the Golkar Party faction, has responded to a statement by Deddy Sitorus, a DPR member from the PDI Perjuangan faction, in a national media outlet calling for Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia to be questioned over the issue of coal procurement for PLN.

Bambang asserted that the coal procurement mechanism for PLN is a business-to-business (B2B) transaction.

“So what we need to fix is the procurement governance within PLN. From the procurement process, quality and volume supervision, through to the receipt of coal, everything must be ensured to run professionally, transparently, and without leaving room for fraudulent practices,” said Bambang, as quoted in a press release on Monday (13 July 2026).

“Mr Deddy Sitorus does not need to comment on something he does not fully understand. There is no need to seek popularity by pointing fingers here and there and looking for scapegoats over an issue he knows nothing about,” he stated.

Bambang considered that what matters most now is ensuring the problems in coal procurement governance are resolved down to their roots. Any suspected violations must be handled on the basis of facts and evidence, while weaknesses in the procurement system must be addressed promptly so that similar problems do not recur.

“Let us not waste our energy blaming one another. What is needed now is an improvement in governance at PLN. If there are suspected violations, let the law enforcement agencies do their work. Let us focus on ensuring the coal procurement system going forward becomes better, more transparent, and more accountable,” said the legislator, whose constituency is Bangka Belitung.

Bambang added that Commission XII of the DPR RI will continue to carry out its oversight function to encourage stronger governance in the electricity sector, particularly in primary energy procurement, so that energy supply for power plants can be guaranteed and the public interest remains protected.