Jakarta – Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Dahlan Iskan said that state-owned companies are given full authority to carry out corporate actions. This authority is part of 18 powers that have been transferred from the ministry to the boards of directors or commissioners of these companies. The ministry will push for a revision of regulations following the decision to transfer several of these authorities.
According to Dahlan, until now, state-owned companies have been overly engaged in correspondence, report-making, and holding formal meetings. He believes that all of these activities should be reduced—by at least 50 percent—so that the boards have more time to focus on corporate actions and the actual work of the company.
"Let the main activity of the board not be bogged down by bureaucratic tasks that may not necessarily be useful," Dahlan told Tempo at his office last weekend.
Although companies are granted full authority, the ministry will continue to oversee these corporate actions. For example, in the formation of new subsidiaries, the ministry will not easily grant permission. If deemed necessary and urgent, the ministry will propose taking over state-owned companies that are on the brink of bankruptcy. In this way, Dahlan claims, state-owned companies will improve.
Dahlan also mentioned that the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises plans to transfer several companies that are struggling financially. Among these are Perusahaan Umum Produksi Film Negara (PFN), PT Pradnya Paramita, PT Balai Pustaka, PT Energy Management Indonesia (EMI), PT Survey Udara Penas, PT Industri Sandang, and PT Sarana Karya. The target is for the takeover process to be completed within two months.
It is planned that Perum PFN will be taken over by PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk. Additionally, PT Pradnya Paramita is expected to be taken over by PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, with the condition that it is merged with PT Balai Pustaka.
Furthermore, PT EMI will be taken over by PT Surveyor Indonesia; PT Survey Udara Penas by PT Angkasa Pura I; PT Industri Sandang by PT Pembangunan Perumahan (Persero) Tbk; and PT Sarana Karya by PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk, after resolving its issues with PT Timah (Persero) Tbk. Meanwhile, the restructuring of PT Kertas Kraft Aceh, PT Iglas, and PT IKI has yet to be decided.
Former Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Sofyan Djalil praised the breakthrough measures taken by the former President Director of the State Electricity Company. According to him, state-owned companies have long faced bureaucratic obstacles that have led to several decisions being canceled.
Sofyan noted that the transfer of authority must be accompanied by the appointment of competent boards of directors and commissioners. "If the boards are competent, state-owned companies can move fast," he said.
Conversely, if the composition and competence of these boards are not appropriate, it will pose problems for both the companies and the ministry, as all decisions and policies depend heavily on these bodies.
Authorities That Were Transferred
Eighteen authorities have been removed from the ministry and transferred to state-owned companies.
(Source: Tempo Newspaper, Monday, October 31, 2011)