Former Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Rudiantara, was rumored to be the next President Director of PLN. (Image via CNN Indonesia)

Rudiantara is a good fit for PLN: Expert

Indonesian energy experts hailed the former Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Rudiantara, as a fit candidate to lead PT PLN (Persero), a state-owned enterprise (BUMN) responsible for electrical energy distribution in Indonesia.

The statement was well-founded as the experts said that Rudiantara got the directorial experiences of handling many companies beforehand besides his prior duty as a Minister. Proving his leadership quality, the experts said that it is essentially required to lead PLN.

Rudiantara once sat as the vice director at PLN for 2008 – 2009. It is a good foundation for Rudiantara to finally sit on the director seat. Besides PLN, Rudiantara also acted as Vice Director of PT Semen Indonesia Tbk (Persero), President Director of PT Rajawali Asia Resources, Director of Corporate Relations of PT XL Axiata Tbk. Once, he also acted as a Commissioner at PT Indosat Tbk.

The expert also said that Rudiantara possesses good corporate and communication abilities with the stakeholders. It is also required judging the fact that PLN as a BUMN has many stakeholders.

After stating several reasons why Rudiantara is a good fit, the experts then reminded that obstacles are waiting ahead of the former Minister.

The Indonesian government set a program of a 35,000 MW mega project for the next five or six years. Good governance is needed to ensure no excessive supply. Excessive supply means more cost for PLN.

However, currently, PLN is also in a dire strait. As the electrical demand is decreasing, Rudiantara also needs to find a way to manage PLN’s financial status. Not to mention, the Indonesian government is forcing PLN to seek its own funding for its expansion and operational needs. Even worse, PLN also has debts to pay, due in two or three years.

The ongoing speculation saw Rudiantara as the most likely candidate for PLN’s new boss. The Merdeka Palace claimed that the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, generally known as Jokowi, had already signed the decree for the appointment of the new President Director of PLN.

However, the Ministry of BUMN had not given any confirmation. The Minister of BUMN, Erick Thohir, is still waiting for the official decree from Jokowi.

Source: https://bit.ly/2XQqk3g