The Formation of DSI Is Considered to Be Able to Uncover the Modus Operandi of Corruption in the Export of Natural Resources and Energy

The establishment of PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia (DSI) in the era of President Prabowo Subianto's government is not just a new state-owned enterprise (BUMN) project. Indonesian Audit Watch (IAW) said the move has the potential to be a major operation to dismantle the practice of cheating on natural resource exports that is said to have lasted for decades. This was conveyed by the Founding Secretary of IAW Iskandar Sitorus who admitted that he had verified a number of data ranging from the reports of the Financial Audit Agency (BPK), regulations, to the disclosure of natural resource export cases since 1995. "I have checked, I have verified with legislation and BPK reports from 1995 to 2024. The results are valid. This is not a hoax, not a political issue. This is a terrible economic fact," said Iskandar in his statement quoted Sunday, May 24. Iskandar said that for decades Indonesia has been a major exporter of strategic commodities such as crude palm oil (CPO) and coal. However, state revenues are considered never really comparable to the size of the export flow out of the national ports. According to him, a number of patterns are said to be repeated in the practice of exporting natural resource commodities. Starting from under invoicing, transfer pricing, commodity quality manipulation, HS Code engineering to export earnings (DHE) that do not return to the national financial system. "Even BUMN itself is not spared. The BPK LHP in 2024 found that the free fatty acid content of CPO at PTPN II jumped to 38 percent. Selling prices fell drastically and the potential loss to the state was more than Rp1 billion," he said. IAW also touched on the alleged corruption in CPO exports, which is currently being handled by law enforcement officials. In this case, the state's losses are estimated at IDR 10.6 trillion to IDR 14.3 trillion. "Through DSI, the state can monitor export prices directly, ensure who the actual buyer is, monitor the volume and secure the foreign exchange from export results to Indonesia," said Iskandar. According to him, the existence of DSI which will enter a transitional period on June 1, 2026 and is targeted to be effective as a single exporter starting January 1, 2027 can be a state instrument to close the systemic leakage of the natural resource export sector. However, IAW reminded that the project also carries a great risk if it is not accompanied by strict supervision. Because, the monopoly on exports is feared to turn into a centralization of rent on a larger scale. Therefore, IAW encourages the government to fulfill three main conditions so that DSI does not turn into a new problem center. The first is a forensic audit of 282 palm oil taxpayers who are suspected of manipulating exports. Then, IAW said that it was necessary to develop a real-time monitoring system based on data and blockchain integration and strengthen public supervision through a whistleblower mechanism. "If this step fails, we only change the owner of the black box, not open it. But if it succeeds, history will record this as an effort to restore Indonesia's economic sovereignty," concluded Iskandar.