Prasetiya Mulya vows to help small firms

JAKARTA (JP): The Prasetiya Mulya Foundation vowed yesterday to join hands with small-scale businesses and cooperatives through a partnership program which will involve management education, training and consultation.

Sofyan Wanandi, a foundation executive, said yesterday that the program will be launched on National Cooperative Day on June 12. The program, he said, represents a commitment made by large- scale entrepreneurs in the foundation to support small-scale businesses and cooperatives.

"We feel that it is not enough to merely allocate one percent of our shares to small businesses and cooperatives, as the government stipulates, or provide them only with training," Sofyan said.

President Soeharto in 1990 urged large-scale entrepreneurs to set aside one percent of their shares for cooperatives in the spirit of partnership.

As of last year, 175 companies had responded, rendering a total of 69.2 million shares to 1,711 cooperatives.

Sofyan said that the group intends to support small-scale businesses and cooperatives "from zero" and develop them until they grow strong enough to become partners.

Financing

Sofyan, who was accompanied by other Prasetiya Mulya executives including businessmen Sukamdani S. Gitosardjono, Ciputra, Palgunadi Tatit Setyawan and Usman Admadjaja, said that for 1995-1996 the foundation intends to involve 2,000 to 3,000 executives of small-scale business and cooperatives in the program, which will be called "The 2000 Partnership Program".

For this year, he said, Rp 3 billion (US$1.33 million) will be allocated to finance the program, which will also include meetings and discussions between small-scale entrepreneurs and conglomerate owners.

Sofyan, who is also president of the Gemala group of companies, said that because the program is aimed at linking big businesses with smaller ones, "it will strictly be of an economic nature, where everyone will gain an economic benefit".

"Lately many economic matters have turned political. This is not our intention because establishing partnerships is purely an economic matter," he said, adding that the foundation expects other large enterprises to follow course.

Yesterday's press conference was also attended by several small-scale business and cooperative executives, who have already participated in a pilot project of the program.

The program will involve eight industrial sectors -- retail or mini-market businesses, food and beverages industries, horticulture, leather, small-scale industries, garment, services and construction enterprises.

The large-scale companies participating in the program will include Hero, Matahari Group, Indomarco, Golden Truly, ABC Central Food, Sinar Mas, Astra Group, Indomobil, Honda, Yamaha, Argo Pantes, Sandratex, Jaya Group, Indokisar, Jababeka and Duta Pertiwi.(pwn)