"SOEs are not doing business with the people. SOEs instead support the economy of the people. By doing so, SOEs have witnessed significant improvement in their performances," Minister Thohir noted in a written statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.
He highlighted that before assuming the ministerial role in 2019, the net income cornered by Indonesian SOEs was pegged at Rp113 trillion (US$7.3 billion). Meanwhile, this year, SOEs' income is projected to reach Rp250 trillion (US$16.2 billion), he pointed out.
"Moreover, SOEs paid a dividend worth Rp80.2 trillion to the government, enabling it to implement people-oriented policies," he affirmed.
Thohir then cited as an example the government's 2023 Rice Aid Program. He said that owing to SOEs' contributions, the government is able to distribute aid in the form of 10 kilograms of rice for beneficiary families starting from September until November.
"This is an example of a program that benefits the people," he pointed out.
The minister then affirmed that under his leadership, the Ministry of SOEs has been striving to create an enabling ecosystem that genuinely provides benefits to the nation.
"Hence, we (SOEs) have emerged as a grand platform. We are not competing with private (companies). Our goal is to play a role as an aggregator to create an ecosystem that could benefit our own nation, not other nations," he stressed.
Furthermore, the minister then underscored the different tasks he has given to state-owned telecommunication giant PT Telkom Indonesia and its subsidiary Telkomsel.
Thohir explained that he had instructed Telkom to channel greater focus on business to business (B to B) activities and building infrastructure, such as fiber optic networks and towers.
Meanwhile, Telkomsel, a cellular operator, has been tasked with conducting more Business to Customer (B to C) activities and focusing on serving as an aggregator.
"These measures aim to support MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises)," he noted.
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Translator: Maria C, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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