Erick Thohir Will Close His BUMN Grandchildren Again Next Month

JAKARTA - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir revealed that he would close a number of BUMN's subsidiaries in the near future. This step is part of the cleaning of state-owned companies.

Furthermore, Erick said this plan was carried out because there were still state-owned companies in unhealthy condition. In fact, he admitted that he had re-mapping for SOEs who were healthy, sick, and those who could not be saved.

"I am closing 133 children and grandchildren (BUMN), so maybe later, Mr. Wamen, next month we will close again," he said in a Working Meeting with Commission VI of the DPR RI, in Jakarta, written Friday, September 1.

Erick emphasized that he would take firm action against state-owned companies that blamed the authority to establish subsidiaries and even grandchildren without the permission of the Ministry of SOEs and even the parent company.

"If it is BUMN that gives birth to children and grandchildren without permission or BUMN who have children and grandchildren, but undermines the philosophy of our togetherness that SOEs are not ivory towers, but ecosystem SOEs build togetherness in the midst of our economy that is open with the private sector, MSMEs or investments," he said.

Erick said that the restructuring of state-owned companies was carried out by restructuring. While the closure or disbandment of the company, this effort was taken to save state-owned companies.

"If we look at the reconstruction of Garuda, which at that time was very difficult, not only was there a corruption case, but also how at the time of COVID-19 and today Garuda, we see that profit before tax and others has reached Rp. 3 trillion, meaning that Garuda is already in the right direction," he said.

On this occasion, Erick also revealed the success of the restructuring of PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) which bears debts of tens of trillions.

However, the results of the restructuring are considered to have a positive impact.

"Today PTPN has proven to be able to contribute extraordinary numbers to the next as well as become a food industrialization government program. Because there are so many derivatives of food, whether it becomes biofuel or become other things," he said.