East Kalimantan Governor Speaks Out on Rp8.5 Billion Official Vehicle
East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud has said he has not yet received the Rp8.5 billion official vehicle that has become a subject of public controversy. Rudy claimed that to this day he is still using his personal car for official visits.
“Regarding the vehicle, to this day the East Kalimantan Provincial Government has not provided us with a car for use in East Kalimantan, so there is no official vehicle. The car being used today is our personal vehicle,” Rudy told reporters on Monday (23/2).
Rudy said the new official vehicle would be used to support the regional head’s activities, particularly given East Kalimantan’s position as a buffer zone for the new capital city (IKN), which requires the governor to frequently receive visiting dignitaries.
“East Kalimantan is home to the Nusantara capital, a miniature of Indonesia. Guests are not only regional heads from across Indonesia, but also from around the world. Surely the regional head cannot be using just any car. We must uphold East Kalimantan’s dignity,” he said.
Rudy explained that the procurement of official vehicles also follows Minister of Home Affairs Regulation Number 7 of 2006. The regulation stipulates that a regional head’s vehicle may be a sedan of up to 3,000 cc or a jeep of up to 4,200 cc.
“The vehicle procured is only 3,000 cc. As for the price — there is form, there is quality, there is standard. We did not dictate the price; we simply followed the specifications in accordance with the ministerial regulation,” he said.
Rudy also confirmed that the vehicle is still in Jakarta and has already been test-driven there. According to him, the vehicle in question is indeed intended for operational use in the capital.
Previously, East Kalimantan Provincial Secretary Sri Wahyuni assured that the procurement of the Rp8.5 billion vehicle had undergone careful deliberation based on official needs and the effectiveness of the regional head’s work in serving the public.
She stressed that the operational vehicle is not merely a luxury facility but a vital means of reaching areas with extreme geographical characteristics in East Kalimantan.
“The Governor is committed to directly monitoring every issue in remote areas. For example, during a visit to Bongan, he wanted to see for himself the road conditions that residents had complained about. To reach such critical locations with such challenging terrain, a reliable and representative vehicle is required,” said Sri Wahyuni in Samarinda on Friday (20/2).