TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry plans to reconstruct enterprises that are marred with losses either through company mergers or shutting them down.

“There are too many SOEs and it must be reduced. Its businesses must be fixed either through mergers or close them completely. They will not be able to survive on their own since there are too many of them,” said SOE Minister Erick Thohir on Wednesday, December 4.

He added that the slimming down of SOEs is hoped to rejuvenate the performance and encourage more job openings that are sustainable.

“The president visions job creation. We don’t want to see SOEs having subsidiaries that are only meant to reap benefits for a few irresponsible people,” said Erick Thohir.

Erick also openly said that he hopes the higher positions in SOEs will be filled by professionals, especially from younger generations and not be taken by pensioners who no longer share the same vision with the president.

“We expect professionals who are up to the job and not based on lobbies. I truly apologize in advance, but I am not anti-olde people, I still appreciate their work, but pensioners? All while Indonesia’s population consists of young people. That would not open job opportunities,” Erick asserts.

ANTARA