SOEs' CSR programs must aim to reduce poverty: SBY
Rangga D. Fadillah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/08/2012 12:52 PM
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on all state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to integrate their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs into the government's efforts to alleviate poverty.
"The amount of CSR funds from SOEs is quite big. We can do many things to help local people living around the companies reduce their economic burdens," he said at the opening a cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He also expected that SOEs could play a bigger role in boosting the country's economic growth, which was targeted to reach 6.7 percent this year. He said the firms should invest more particularly in projects included in the Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Growth (MP3EI).
"We hope that by improving the companies' performance and expanding their businesses, we can open more job opportunities," said Yudhoyono.
"At last, SOEs should serve as examples in the green economy and green growth. If they can be role models, private companies won't be careless in managing the environmental impact of their operations," he added.
