Outspoken Investment Minister Bahlil Who Wants To Pursue Investment Of IDR 2,900 Trillion, Unrealized Amount In 2017-2020

Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia (Photo: Instagram @bahlillahadalia)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Investment / Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) claims that there is an investment of Rp. 2,900 trillion that has not been realized since the period from 2017 to 2020. The investors have not fulfilled their commitments. In fact, the government has provided incentives in the form of tax holidays or tax holidays.

The Minister of Investment/Head of BKPM Bahlil Lahadalia said that the government was pursuing the investment potential. He said the goal was to increase economic growth.

In front of members of Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR), Bahlil said he would use an additional Rp600 billion of budget to pursue the investment.

"Then it turns out that in our country there is IDR 2,900 trillion investment potential that has been facilitated by the state from 2017 to 2020 whose incentives have been given in the form of tax holidays and tax allowances, but these have not been executed," he said at a Working Meeting with Commission VI of the DPR RI in the Building Parliament, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, September 22.

Not only that, said Bahlil, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are new investment opportunities. The investment in question is through companies that will relocate their factories to other countries, including Indonesia. Therefore, the additional budget will also be used to capture these opportunities.

Bahlil said, until now, the Ministry of Investment continues to dissect the problem comprehensively. So that the solutions issued can bridge the interests of entrepreneurs and the state in running a business. By doing so, it is hoped that it will provide mutual benefits and open up wide job opportunities for the community.

"But the company has not been able to run it, now it is being investigated with the assistance of the Investment Task Force. If it is just a casual business, we will take comprehensive steps and measure the state budget, not be held hostage by my brother or our friends who are entrepreneurs and have received incentives or other permits in order to run their business," he explained.

Bahlil said that as a former businessman turned bureaucrat, he is very optimistic that the project can be realized quickly. This is because the government continues to evaluate all the problems that hinder it.

"I believe that these entrepreneurs, including my friends, will also carry out the evaluation so that the project can run," he said.