TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir said the government’s strategic projects would continue to run amid the coronavirus pandemic so the country’s development would not be left behind from other countries.

“As China has recovered and other countries have recovered, we are still trapped by the virus,” said Erick in a teleconference with the media in Jakarta, Monday, March 30.

According to him, despite focusing on the handling of the pandemic, the government still paid attention to the economy that he considered must continue.

“We have to build our country. Strategic projects in SOEs, name it refinery construction, petrochemical construction of Trans-Pacific Petrochemical Indotama (TPPI), tourist destinations development and others must continue,” Erick underlined.

He added that he was reviewing the cash flow of state firms, evaluating which projects must be prioritized and which projects should be postponed. “But we cannot delay everything, because we should not be late again,” the SOE Minister remarked.

Erick also said he would further coordinate with the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) to discuss and share tasks related to national investment. “I really appreciate the head of BKPM (Bahlil Lahadalia) who wants to help us ensure that these projects are running,” he said.

Earlier, Erick and Bahlil signed a memorandum of understanding on the coordination of duties and functions of the scope of the SOE Ministry and BKPM, which was a partnership of the two to support the implementation of tasks and functions by utilizing available resources.

Erick Thohir underlined that it was important for the government to show a positive signal that it was carrying out economic activity while focusing on tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

MUHAMMAD HENDARTYO