TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned Enterprises or SOEs Ministry staffer, Arya Sinulangga, on Tuesday denies links between the country’s electric vehicle battery or EV battery development ecosystem with politics ahead of the 2024 presidential election. He maintains battery production holdings were planned not with politics in mind.

“There is no link whatsoever. What does that have to do with anything? Because it will already be in production by 2023. The batteries are real,” said Arya on February 2 in a virtual discussion linking between the electric vehicle battery industry and the 2024 presidential election.

“It has nothing to do with politics, that is too off course,” he added.

In context, Sinulangga’s statement comes after the team tasked to handle the national EV battery project were summoned to a House hearing. DPR Commission VII speaker said such a massive program should not just be political rhetoric ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Arya Sinulangga clarified that the development of electric vehicle batteries is meant to serve as the country’s energy transition and used Tesla’s interest towards the project as proof of the program’s seriousness.

The SOEs Ministry deputy minister Pahala Mansury echoed Sinulangga’s comment and asserted that nation's EV battery development has nothing to do with politics. “I overheard about the fear that this will be related to politics.. I can assure you that all of us that are involved in the project that politics has not crossed out minds at all,” said Mansury.

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HENDARTYO HANGGI