Golkar Warns Deddy Sitorus Not to Politicise Coal Corruption Allegations

Jakarta – Member of House of Representatives Commission XII, Rusli Habibie, has called on all parties to respect the ongoing legal process regarding alleged issues in coal supply for power plants and not to rush to conclusions or link it to parties who may not necessarily be involved. This was conveyed by Rusli in response to a statement by fellow House member Deddy Sitorus in a national media outlet, who requested that the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources be investigated over the matter. According to Rusli, the handling of alleged violations must be based on facts and evidence uncovered by law enforcement officials. He therefore cautioned that the issue should not escalate into political accusations that could obscure the substance of the problem. “We must respect the ongoing legal process. Do not pre-empt law enforcement by building accusations or dragging certain parties into the issue without a clear basis of facts and evidence,” Rusli said in a written statement on Monday, 13 July 2026. Rusli explained that coal procurement essentially takes place through a business-to-business mechanism. Therefore, serious attention should be paid to ensuring that coal procurement governance runs properly, from the procurement process and quality and volume supervision to coal reception. “If weaknesses are found in governance, then that is what we must fix. The procurement and supervision system must be strengthened so there is no room for fraudulent practices or actions that could harm the state and disrupt the reliability of electricity supply,” he said. The House member from the Golkar Party faction assessed that everyone’s energy should be directed towards uncovering the root of the problem while improving the system so that similar incidents do not recur. According to him, seeking a scapegoat without supporting facts will not solve the problem. “Do not let a legal issue be politicised. Let the authorities work professionally and independently. Our task is to ensure every violation is acted upon and every governance weakness is promptly corrected,” stressed the legislator from the Gorontalo electoral district. Rusli added that House Commission XII will continue to exercise its oversight function to promote increasingly transparent, professional, and accountable governance of primary energy procurement to guarantee the reliability of the national electricity system.