Minister Dody Responds to Controversy Over PU Civil Servants Owning Houses in Pondok Indah

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo has spoken out regarding issues of property asset ownership by officials within the Ministry of Public Works (PU), including allegations of houses in elite areas such as Pondok Indah and Senopati. He chose not to speculate and declined to disclose details to the public, citing the potential for controversy that could spiral uncontrollably. “Oh, if it’s about houses, it will turn into all sorts of unclear accusations. Because houses have long stories,” he said. Dody emphasised that the legal route is the more appropriate option if there are indeed findings or valid data related to the allegations. “It’s better if there’s data, I’ll hand it over to the law enforcement authorities (APH) so they can handle it. It’s more comfortable that way,” he stated. He also assessed that raising the issue without strong evidence risks sparking wild speculation, including various justifications from the parties involved. “If I talk, all sorts of stories will come up. It could be an inheritance, sir, that sort of thing. Better not to talk about it, or it will create new problems for me,” he added. Currently, his side is conducting a cleanup of improper practices. The review of the internal report is still in the early stages and not yet a final document. It is even suspected that there is dynamics involving the term ‘deep state’ as internal figures with influence, allegedly engaging in deviations. The Secretary General and Inspector General are investigating this case. “There’s a draft report from the Secretary General, the first draft. So, the first draft that I just reviewed, and yesterday I called the Secretary General to compare notes. I’m confident, I’m confident,” he revealed. The content of the document is claimed to depict the real conditions within the ministry, with suspicions of deviations, although it cannot yet be comprehensively concluded regarding the involved parties. “I said yes, that draft is indeed a reality, at least in the Ministry of PU. And we never know if it’s the echelon 1, echelon 2, or even the expert staff who did it. We don’t know, but what I experienced is like that,” he explained. Dody also stressed that the report is still open for further discussion before being officially published. “But that’s still a draft. It’s something we can discuss,” he said. On that occasion, he also touched on the role of the Secretary General of the Ministry of PU, who is seen as contributing to promoting integrity internally. Dody appreciated this support as part of the ongoing reform efforts in the ministry. He viewed such dynamics as not new in bureaucracy, especially when changes are implemented and touch on old interests. “Actually, it’s normal, sir. It’s always like that everywhere, the status quo is comfortable,” he said. Dody affirmed that this reform step is part of direct instructions from President Prabowo Subianto. “So today it’s changed, we are asked by President Prabowo Subianto to clean ourselves or he will clean us. Something like that,” he said. He assured that the process is ongoing and will be conveyed to the public at the deemed appropriate time. “It will continue to progress, and at the right opportunity, we will release it,” he concluded.