Palace Meeting Fuels Speculation on Pandu Sjahrir's Role at Indonesia's Danantara
JAKARTA, investortrust.id – Pandu Patria Sjahrir, vice president director of PT TBS Energi Utama Tbk, or TOBA, met with President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, Feb 6, 2025, sparking speculation that he might be appointed to a leadership role in Indonesia's newly established sovereign wealth fund, the Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency, or BPI Danantara.
The meeting has garnered particular attention given Sjahrir's family connection – he is the nephew of Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Special Advisor to the President for Digitalization and Government Technology.
The speculation intensified as Sjahrir was seen leaving the Presidential Palace complex alongside Minister of Investment and Downstreaming/Head of BKPM, Rosan Roeslani, following the meeting with Prabowo.
When asked about the rumors of his potential appointment to Danantara, Sjahrir stated he was unaware of any such plans. He emphasized that his discussion with the President focused solely on the national car project. "Oh, I don't know about that," Sjahrir said. "We were just talking about the national car." He reiterated his lack of knowledge regarding a role at BPI Danantara: "I don't know. I don't know."
Fueling the speculation, former Minister of Housing and Settlements, Maruarar Sirait hinted at Sjahrir's potential involvement with Danantara in a recent Instagram post. Maruarar uploaded a photo of himself meeting with Sjahrir, referring to him in the caption as "boss of Danantara."
"Discussion with Mr. Pandu, boss of Danantara, for housing financing," Maruarar wrote in the post, quoted on Thursday, Feb 6, 2025. "Hopefully it will benefit the people of Indonesia according to the direction of President Prabowo."