Jokowi Assigns Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia To Be 'Headman' In The Marriage Of SMEs And Large Companies

Minister of Investment Bahlil Lahadalia (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia received special trust from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to lead investment activities in the country.

“The President's direction is to create quality investments to improve the economy and equitable growth from Aceh to Papua. Therefore, the message to us is not only to take care of big businessmen but also MSMEs,” said Bahlil Lahadalia after being inaugurated by the Head of State at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Wednesday, April 28.

According to him, the government is currently focused on increasing development to all regions in Indonesia and is not only focused on one island. For this reason, synergy with business actors in the middle and lower sectors is an important key to the success of this economic development.

"So we have to marry these great rulers with their UMKM businesses in the regions so that economic growth can also run and be felt directly by the whole community," he said.

Bahlil noted that 60 percent of the formation of the gross domestic product (GDP) was contributed by national consumption, with 30 percent of the investment sector.

"Investment is an entry point so that there are more jobs that we can prepare for the community," he said.

To note, Bahlil's inauguration as Minister of Investment also complements the duties he had previously carried out, namely the Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) since 2019.

In the hands of the bureaucrat who had been the Chairman of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi), BKPM showed positive performance.

As evidence, throughout 2020, the BKPM booked investment realization of IDR 826.3 trillion or 101.1 percent of the previously set target of IDR 817.2 trillion.

Of this amount, the realization of domestic investment (PMDN) reached IDR 413.5 trillion, or the equivalent of 51 percent of the total. Meanwhile, foreign investment (PMA) amounted to IDR 412.8 trillion or 49 percent.

Meanwhile, for the first quarter of 2021, investment realization was recorded at IDR 219.7 trillion or grew 2.3 percent quarter to quarter and 4.3 percent on an annual basis or year on year.