TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Other than presidential candidate number 02 Prabowo Subianto who controls huge plot of state lands, politicians and entrepreneurs backing Joko Widodo or Jokowi also owned thousands of hectares of land, including Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. The disclosure is based on the investigation run by Tempo and a civil group Auriga Nusantara.

Luhut was recorded to manage 683 hectares of land under the name of PT Indomining, a subsidiary of PT Toba Bara Sejahtera, 8,634.21 hectares of palm land under PT Perkebunan Kaltim Utama, 2,990 hectares of mining land under PT Adimitra Baratama Nusantara, and 3,414 hectares of mining land under PT Trisensa Mineral Utama, as cited from Koran Tempo on Tuesday, February 19.

However, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs refuted that he still managed shares of PT Toba Bara Sejahtera. “During my term as a minister, I have no business. Please do check,” said Luhut.

Read: List of Lands Owned by Prabowo Subianto

A number of politicians and entrepreneurs in the circle of the incumbent candidate also controlled state lands. If it is totaled, the figure of lands owned by the campaign team of Jokowi - Ma’ruf and their supporters reached over 140,000 hectares.

The figure is calculated from companies that link to Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Surya Paloh, Oesman Sapta Odang, and Hary Tanoesoedibjo. The number might increase should the total land, which is owned by PT Adaro Energy, a company that its shares owned by Garibaldi Thohir, a brother of the head of Jokowi campaign team Erick Thohir, is added.

Head of Corporate Secretary Adaro, Febrianti Nadira, questioned the assumption that the connection between Adaro and Garibaldi has the potential to trigger a conflict of interest. Meanwhile, a politician from Perindo Party refused to comment regarding the business of his chairman, Hary Tanoesoedibjo.

The communication director of Jokowi - Ma’ruf campaign team, Usman Kansong, said that Jokowi’s question on the land owned by Prabowo was based on suspicion of the opposition camp that the best policy on the land management is to return the state land to the country.

Usman assessed that land ownership could potentially draw a conflict of interest. While Jokowi, he added, would not be affected despite being surrounded by mining and plantation entrepreneurs. “If there is a problem, there will be KPK (the anti-graft body),” said the Nasdem politician.

CAESAR AKBAR | AVIT HIDAYAT | VINDRY FLORENTIN | DIAS PRASONGKO