Indonesia’s powerful state-owned enterprise ( SEO ) sector is on the verge of a major shake-up as the new Prabowo Subianto administration attempts to reshape the nation’s economic system.
On November 7, Prabowo’s state is expected to release information about a new super-holding organization for SOEs and another government-controlled finances to become known as the Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency, or Danantara.
While the novel company’s specific mandate and work is unclear, the management has promoted the idea it will serve as an Indonesian version of Temasek, Singapore’s effective sovereign wealth fund.
But, feedback from the public and in-the-know sources suggest Danantara could be something entirely different, with some hesitant to accept it as a direct investment in the government’s name projects without going through the customary Ministry of Finance budget arrangement approach.
Fears about the proposed shake-up focus on two key points. First, while Danantara’s scope is unclear, it will likely overlap heavily in numerous areas with Indonesia’s existing sovereign wealth fund, the Indonesian Investment Authority ( INA ), and the Ministry for State-Owned Enterprises helmed by Erick Thorir.
Next, there are concerns that the move may aim to lead State resources toward idealistic political priorities, including his energy security, completely student lunch and food security policies, as well as potential patronage of political allies, given that the new holding company appears to be under the authority of the national office.
However, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, top SOE ministry officials were immediately notified when plans for the new holding company first appeared on October 22.
Burhannudin Abdullah, former chancellor of the Bank of Indonesia and part of the advisory committee for Prabowo, who was then president-elect, made the first proposals to reform the SOE government and create a very keeping company in a speech on September 25.
However, the sudden announcement that this concept would be put into practice still irritated many people. Many assumed that Thorir, a billionaire and influential political operator, would continue to play a significant role in bringing together and rationalizing the SOE sector under Prabowo. He was reappointed to the position he had held under President Joko Widodo.
The announcement of an apparently parallel organization, with scant details about its remit, has thrown all this into doubt. Thorir continued to appear obnoxious on Danantara as of November 4. ” I do n’t know exactly. When reporters inquired about the new holding company’s plans for November 8th, he replied,” I’m just setting up the office.”
In Indonesia, SOE control is a particularly powerful position. In 2023, SOEs controlled US$ 671 billion in assets, equivalent to 48.9 % of the country’s gross domestic product ( GDP ), in sectors spanning energy, mining, finance, agriculture and construction.
In addition to running big businesses in key sectors, Indonesia’s SOEs carry out government policies as varied as distributing subsidized fuel and food, to building new infrastructure projects, to making micro-loans to the poor. They are a potent source of patronage because of their ability to appoint people to fill positions and distribute contracts.
So what’s likely behind Danatara’s creation? Muliaman Hadad, who will head Danantara and formerly served as chair of Indonesia’s financial services authority, invoked both Singapore’s Temasek and Indonesia’s INA as models for the fund in recent comments to the press.
The analogies appear to be intended to reassure markets, even though they use very different strategies: the former focuses heavily on overseas assets plus a few strategic Singaporean companies, and the latter more on co-investing with large foreign funds in Indonesian infrastructure. Both Temasek and INA are reputable institutions that are renowned for having good governance and technocratic management.
However, initial reports and information from a variety of sources point to the possibility that Danantara will turn out to be something quite different. According to reports from Katadata, Danantara will control Indonesia’s seven SOEs, which are currently the biggest dividend-payers.
These include three big state-owned banks, namely Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Bank Negara Indonesia, monopoly electricity distributor PLN, oil and gas giant Pertamina, telecoms conglomerate Telkom Indonesia and mining giant MIND ID.
There are also rumored plans to combine the reputable INA with Danantara, which could cause a potential cultural conflict between bureaucrats and private professionals. The INA has invested in a portfolio of private companies and SOEs with an emphasis on infrastructure, including Bank Mandiri and Bank Rakyat Indonesia.
Some special investment vehicles under the Ministry of Finance’s control, including perhaps Indonesia Infrastructure Guarantee Fund ( IIGF ) and Indonesia Infrastructure Financing ( IIF), may also come under Danantara’s control.
Some investors and analysts worry that the new super-holding company will add yet more bureaucracy and special interests to navigate and placate. Additionally, there are concerns that the new entity might undermine existing relationships that INA has with numerous large international investment, pension, and sovereign funds.
Moreover, Hadad’s appointment to head Danantara has raised certain concerns about the body’s governance.
Hadad served as Burhanuddin’s deputy when the latter oversaw payments of about$ 10 million to members of parliament and paid the legal fees for former central bank officials who were facing corruption charges when they were governor of the Bank of Indonesia.
One of those officials assisted in this way was Sudrajad Dwjiwandono – Prabowo’s brother-in-law. Burhannudin was later found guilty and given a five-year prison sentence for his actions.
There are already several indications that Prabowo wants to appoint loyalists in key positions in the SOE sector.
On November 5, it was announced that Simon Aloysius Mantiri, a member of Prabowo’s Gerindra party and deputy treasurer of his presidential campaign, would be the new CEO of the state-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina.
According to critics, more political appointments of this sort would be made through Danantara, which would increase presidential control over SOEs.
By resigning Indonesia’s trusted finance minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and indicating that he could reduce funding for some of his signature policy promises, Prabowo earlier sought to calm market concerns about his robust spending plans and governance.
That did n’t address concerns about his big boat cabinet, the largest ever since the mid-1960s with some 48 ministers and 56 vice-ministers. The appointees are notably heavy on economic technocrats and heavy on political party leaders.  ,  ,
How markets will react to Nanantara’s creation is still unclear. However, as Prabowo’s vision for the fund becomes clearer, the sudden and, in many ways, suspect move taken so early in his term could well rekindle those market jitters.