Prasetiya Mulya puzzled by offer to join Kadin

Prasetiya Mulya puzzled by offer to join Kadin

JAKARTA (JP): The Prasetiya Mulya Foundation (YPM), an
educational and social organization established by the country's
top conglomerates, has turned down an offer to join the
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

Prasetiya chairman Ciputra and executive director Prasastro
Sudyatmiko said in a statement that the invitation went to a
wrong address.

"It doesn't make any sense to ask YPM to join Kadin because
YPM is not a business organization," Ciputra said about Kadin's
offer.

Kadin chairman Aburizal Bakrie last week asked Prasetiya Mulia
to join the chamber.

But Aburizal, also the chairman of the Bakrie Group, did not
specifically explain why he was inviting Prasetiya Mulia to join.

To many people, Prasetiya Mulia represents an exclusive group
of top conglomerates owned by Chinese-Indonesian businessmen,
including Sudono Salim alias Liem Sioe Liong, rather than a
social organization.

YPM's statement said that Kadin statutes did not allow the
chamber to take members which were not business or trade
organizations.

YPM stated that individual member companies and businesspeople
in the foundation were free to join the chamber.

"Most of our businesspeople have become Kadin members since
the foundation was established," the statement said.

"If Kadin wants to establish an organization practicing in
social services and education like us, we would be very pleased
to help it," the statement added.

The foundation said its Prasetiya Mulya Management Institute
could help Kadin implement business education should the chamber
start such a project. (gis)