Golkar Official Responds to PDIP Politician: Coal Power Crisis Began Under Previous Minister

The Secretary for Economic and Public Policy of the Golkar Party Central Board, Abdul Rahman Farisi, has responded to statements by PDIP politician Deddy Sitorus, who mocked Golkar over electricity issues. He believes the criticism needs to be placed objectively by examining the overall track record of national energy problems. Abdul Rahman reminded that Indonesia faced a threat of a coal supply crisis for PLN power plants in 2022, when the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) was led by Arifin Tasrif. At that time, the government acknowledged that coal supplies for power plants were in critical condition due to low fulfilment of the Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) by several mining companies. “Mr Deddy once defended Arifin Tasrif as a minister recommended by PDIP. Therefore, Mr Deddy should not have political amnesia, forgetting that the PLN coal crisis also occurred during his tenure,” said Abdul Rahman on Monday. According to him, this statement is important to remind the public that electricity and energy security issues are not problems that emerged in the last few months, but rather challenges that have persisted for years and require long-term solutions. He considers it inappropriate if every current electricity disruption is directly attributed as a mistake by ESDM Minister Bahlil Lahadalia or the Golkar Party. This is because energy issues are complex and cross-temporal, involving many factors, from primary energy supply and infrastructure to overall energy sector governance. Abdul Rahman also highlighted Deddy Sitorus’s stance during the ESDM ministerial change in 2024, when he openly questioned the removal of Arifin Tasrif and referred to the former minister as a figure recommended by PDIP. He argued that if Deddy wants to criticise the current energy situation, the criticism should be delivered consistently while acknowledging that similar challenges occurred during the tenure of the minister he has defended. “In fact, if you want to count the time, Mr Bahlil has not even served two years as ESDM Minister compared to his friend Mr Deddy’s minister who served for four years, who should have had more time to resolve electricity issues related to generation, networks and coal,” he said. Furthermore, Abdul Rahman asserted that Minister Bahlil’s main focus regarding electricity is currently building new power plants for PLN and illuminating thousands of villages that still do not have electricity services. President Prabowo’s vision on electricity is a priority programme to achieve self-sufficiency and energy security. “The public needs solutions, not mutual blame. The most important thing is to ensure the national energy supply remains secure and electricity services to the public are maintained,” concluded Abdul Rahman.