Shipbuilder needs political support

Shipbuilder needs political support

SURABAYA: To keep state ship producer PT PAL Indonesia alive,
the company has demanded the government's political support, its
president director Adwin H. Surjohardjo has said.

"As a state enterprise, PT PAL Indonesia will not be free from
political interference, but we hope we are not going to serve the
government's political interests," he said on Saturday.

The absence of political support from the current government
prompted the collapse of state aircraft company PT Dirgantara
Indonesia. It recently suspended almost 10,000 of its employees
due to financial problems.

Adwin said PT PAL Indonesia had strategic value, as Indonesia
was a maritime country and therefore required a lot of ships for
either transportation or defense purposes.

He apologized for providing only a little information on the
company to the public so far.

"We choose to keep a low profile, although we have always
maintained a good performance," said Adwin. --Antara