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From a cup of coffee to a future of prosperity
PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM) has declared a plan to tackle extreme poverty in the next year, according a statement by president director Arief Mulyadi at a media gathering at the company’s new office on Friday.
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T Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM) has declared a plan to tackle extreme poverty in the next year, according a statement by president director Arief Mulyadi at a media gathering at the company’s new office on Friday. The program is called “Pensasaran Percepatan Penghapusan Kemiskinan Ekstrem”, which translates to targeting the acceleration of the elimination of extreme poverty (P3KE).
"Currently we are integrating our data, customer data, customer developments and so on, with P3KE data, which is currently designated as a data source in all government programs," said Arief. He added that it was up to the nation to sustain people in extreme poverty, as most found it very hard to find employment without any educational background.
He revealed that the number of PNM customers had increased as much as 21.48 percent from October of last year, bringing the total number of customers to 13.15 million, most of which were owners of micro and small businesses.
In order for the government to keep up with the growth of the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector and alleviate extreme poverty, the number of financing disbursements has grown in parallel. As of October 2022, PNM had distributed financing of Rp 51.6 trillion, an increase of 30 percent from the same period the previous year.
Arief added that PNM had set a target to distribute as much as Rp 70 trillion by 2023. The company has set forth a plan to acquire more customers, in line with a mandate by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to register more than 20 million customers by 2024.
“It is hoped that after receiving the financing and empowerment that we provide, the community, especially our customers, especially PNM Mekaar customers, can have economic independence in the future and have a multiplier effect from the growth of their economic activities locally and nationally,” said Arief.
Repeatedly mentioning the company’s ethos of providing capital to help people develop financially, intellectually and socially, PNM is offering training classes for MSME owners to grow their businesses. The weekly training is expected to cover financial management, the procedure on how to register to be a legal business and how to market products through social media.
At the event, Arief also awarded a symbolic bike to Saripah, the owner of Starling. Started three years ago, she uses a bike to go around selling beverage sachets. She revealed that she started the business to earn an income for her children, as she is a single mother. At the press conference, Arief further stated the importance of women’s empowerment in MSME sectors, as women played the most pivotal roles in a family.
Guests from the media were treated to a coffee break in the lobby of the new office, and PNM gave a platform for five of their customers to sell their products. Among the five stalls, including Starling, were sellers from Jakarta, Lampung and East Java. The three-day event, titled “Kampung Pejuang Kopi Madani”, or Civilian Coffee Fighter Village, transformed the interior of the lobby into an indoor village, with a traditional backdrop of bilik, complemented with wooden tables and chairs for people to sit on and interact with one another.
Dwi Nurhayati traveled from Lampung for the event, representing Lambarco. She currently employs around 10 employees for her company, which she started in 2016. She became involved in PNM as a Mekaar customer in 2020, when she needed an increase in capital during the pandemic. Dwi revealed that in the past, to gain capital for a micro business in Lampung was difficult, although it had gotten better with assistance from the government and PNM.
Another seller, Eka, offers bottles of coffee. A native of Jakarta, she started her business in 2019 as a hobby, with the help of PNM. She revealed that when she first joined as a Mekaar customer, she was selling snacks, instead of beverages. She showed her appreciation for PNM by stating that the company gave her business more opportunities and exposure.
“[An event like this] is important, because there are many PNM customers out there who haven't had opportunities like me,” said Eka, valuing the opportunity she got as one of the Jakarta-based business owners invited for the event. “Actually, I hope that this event can continue in the future, because it is to help other PNM customers, apart from me and the existing ones, so that their businesses can be more advanced.”
Noting his optimism for the year ahead, Arief concluded the event by asking friends from the media to relay the positivity to MSME owners all across Indonesia, noting that the possible incoming recession was not one to be afraid of but rather a chance for micro and small businesses to develop.
