Bahlil Reportedly Becoming Minister Of Investment, PDIP Asks Work Focus On Increasing Public Purchasing Power

President Jokowi (Photo via ANTARA)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo is reportedly going to inaugurate Bahlil Lahadalia as Minister of Investment at the State Palace this afternoon. Bahlil is currently the Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).

PDIP politician Darmadi Durianto hopes that the investment minister appointed by Jokowi must be able to solve all problems related to the economy, especially in the current pandemic situation. In his version, the investment minister is obliged to boost economic growth through an increase in people's purchasing power.

"First, of course you have to understand the situation that this pandemic has a lot of decreasing consumer purchasing power. So how to increase consumer purchasing power is an important point because it is the biggest contribution from that. As long as public consumption has not increased, economic growth will not also increase," Darmadi said to VOI, Wednesday, April 28.

Regarding investment, he continued, of course someone who is able to coordinate all ministries and agencies is very much needed. This is because the egosectoral rate in both the regions and the center is still quite high. For example, ministries and agencies do not want to coordinate.

"Now the investment minister's ability to coordinate is really needed. Besides knowing that the situation is very difficult, he also has to be agile in moving around, elastic like that. So you can't just sit around. The investment minister (only, red) can't do that," he explained. this member of Commission VI of the DPR.

As a partner of the Ministry of Investment, Commission VI of the House of Representatives appealed to the minister to be skilled at playing a role in finding foreign investors and safeguarding investment that has entered the country.

"Investments from foreigners, for example, have entered the country, then investors have put their funds here. It must be maintained. Often there are many problems in the process, sometimes from left to right. Here, an investment minister must be skilled at solving these problems," he stressed. Darmadi.

"So from the outside he has to pull in, inside he has to clean up. So that after entering the investment fund, do not continue to be tolerated, it is considered successful, no! The size must be inside and out. So inside he must attract a qualified investment but once inside he must finish. the existing problem. This is the duty of the investment minister, "the legislator for the electoral district of DKI Jakarta III continued.

That way, according to him, investment can increase and can create jobs, reduce unemployment and increase economic growth. This is because, said Darmadi, the current investment contribution is 31 percent to economic growth.

Darmadi also questioned how the strategy of the investment minister who will be inaugurated to realize President Jokowi's wishes regarding the investment target of more than Rp900 trillion in 2021. Because, as long as Bahlil Lahadalia served as head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), synergies with other institutions were considered difficult.

"He invested in BKPM for more than Rp800 trillion, but Mr. Jokowi asked for Rp1,000 trillion in 2021, the question is, what strategy can be implemented? Because I see that investors are entering, but in that coordination between institutions is difficult. For example, ESDM and BKPM are difficult because indeed BKPM can't coordinate well because it's just a body, "he explained.

With this investment ministry, Darmadi added, it is hoped that it will be upgraded to third class. This means that the sharpening and synchronization of the program can be done by the investment minister because he has graduated.

"So we hope that it can be more effective and efficient to attract investment and manage investment in this country which has many problems," said Darmadi.