Heaptalk, Jakarta – Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas (PKP), Maruarar Sirait, has announced his decision to donate the entire salary he once received during his tenure as an advisor for Siloam, a business unit under the Lippo Group.
“I used to be paid IDR 100 million per month by Siloam as an advisor. And I want to return all of it,” Minister Maruarar, popularly known as Ara, stated on Wednesday (April 23) during a meeting with Lippo Group executives John Riady and James Riady to resolve the Meikarta consumer dispute.
Minister Ara emphasized that the move was taken to avoid any potential conflict of interest, underscoring his commitment to prioritizing public interest above all.
“I’ve known Mr. James [Riady] for a long time, even before I became a minister. But now I’m being tested—to see whether I can put the people’s interests first, without any conflict of interest,” he said.
In response, Lippo Group CEO James Riady clarified that there was never any conflict of interest involved, highlighting that their professional relationship predates Maruarar’s ministerial appointment.
“I’ve known Mr. Ara long before he became a minister. He served as an advisor not because of his position. So there should be no perception that, because he was once our advisor, there’s any hidden agenda,” James Riady asserted.
The meeting was initiated by Minister Ara to mediate the long-standing dispute between Lippo Group and Meikarta consumers. Both James and John Riady attended the session in person at the Ministry of Housing’s office at Wisma Mandiri 2, where they also met directly with affected consumers.
During the session, Lippo Group agreed to fully compensate the losses incurred by 118 Meikarta consumers who filed complaints through the ministry’s BENAR-PKP service. The total loss amounts to over IDR 26.8 billion, and the payment is scheduled to be completed no later than July 23, 2025—three months from the date of the agreement.
