"We met with the Merpati management just now to discuss the company`s conditions. Unless it gets a capital injection of Rp250 billion by June, it is certain the company will collapse," he said at the parliament building here on Tuesday.
He said the airline`s management badly needed the funds to stabilize its operations.
It was earlier reported the state-owned company was previously promised a capital injection of Rp561 billion but it only received the funds by the end of December 2011 while it should have gotten them in June 2011 in line with the government`s decision.
As a result, the company was compelled to borrow money to finance its operations and supplement its working capital causing its debts to rise, Dahlan said.
"This caused the company to face financial problems again as the plans the management had made were disrupted," he said.
Dahlan said the company was currently in a precarious "live or die" situation.
He said at Tuesday`s meeting all the participants were resolved to make the company survive.
"They wish Merpati will keep flying and to strive to make it healthy," he said.
Dahlan said he understood that a state-owned company must not rely too much on the state but must be able to find a way out to get funding.
"I cannot guarantee that the government will be ready to inject capital from the national budget. Therefore, the question is fully for the company`s management to solve. It`s up to them where the money must come from. A bank or whatever. The important thing is that Merpati will fly again," he said.
On the occasion Dahlan also said Merpati president director Sardjono Jhonny Tjitrokusumo had expressed his intention to resign.
"This has also become the company`s problem. He wishes to resign perhaps because he feels he will not be able to raise Rp250 billion," he said.
However, all participants of the meeting including the management, directors and commissioners as well as stakeholders unanimously asked Jhonny to stay on in Merpati.
"Everybody was determined to make a breakthrough by increasing efficiency so that Merpati can survive ," he said.
Dahlan admitted he had thought of trying to find Jhonny`s replacement but failed.
"I also think Jhonny as a corporate leader must be tough. I feel uncomfortable the leadership keeps changing," he said.
Dahlan said what was important was that all employees were in high spirit to rebuild the company so that it will survive. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
