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