Purbaya Says Fast Train Debt Should Not Be Charged to APBN, Herwin Sudikta: Again Victim of Fake B2B Scheme

FAJAR.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Social media activist, Herwin Sudikta, touched on the statement of the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa who emphasized that debts for the fast train project should not be charged to the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN).

Herwin said that the project was designed to be complicated from the start, so that when problems arose, responsibility could be shifted to various parties.

“This project was deliberately made complex from the start, so that if there were problems later, the responsibility could be divided equally or thrown onto anyone who could still be blamed,” said Herwin to dawn.co.id, Sunday (12/10/2025).

He believes that the government’s initial promise of a high-speed train project without using APBN funds was just an illusion of efficiency.

“Previously, it was said without APBN, so that it looked efficient and cool,” he said.

Herwin said that in fact the funds used still came from foreign loans guaranteed by BUMN, so that in the end it remained a burden on the state.

“Even though the money comes from foreign debt, it is guaranteed by BUMN, which in the end is still the state,” he said.

He even quipped that if PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC)’s finances started to falter, a rescue scenario from the state was just a matter of time.

“So if KCIC is gasping for air, just be ready, capital investment, restructuring or a disguised bailout,” said Herwin.

Herwin said that the change in the pattern of project relationships which was originally called business to business (B2B) but is now dragging the state to share in the burden is a big question mark.