The discourse of Diverting CSR Fund Worries Partner SMEs

The discourse put forward by SOE (State-Owned Enterprises) Ministry about the change in the status of Partnership Program and Community Development  (PKBL) Funding or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has made the companies under the state-owned enterprises suspend their CSR funds. Unrest is also felt among the SMEs that get capital aid from the funding of partnership program and community development or CSR fund of SOEs. For example Pertamina had currently allocated such funds amounting to 16 trillion, involving 100,000 SME partners.

 

"If there is a change in the policy in which the funds are converted to expand the business, what will the accountability of 1.6 trillion be like? I am sure there will be chaos as it once happened with the Cooperative. In addition, SMEs that get funding will be restless and even go bankrupt as in the middle of progressing there are no funds. For this reason, we are currently lobbying so that the change will not be adopted," said Dr. Sugiharto, SE. MBA, President Commissioner of PT. Pertamina as a guest speaker in the talk show "The role of PKBL/ CSR in Agribusiness Sector and Green Environment" in the Agrinex Expo 2013 in the Jakarta Convention Center (5/4).

 

CSR has political aspects of the economy to promote the welfare of the people in which all state-owned companies set aside a maximum of 2% of net profit for the revolving fund called the Partnership Program (PK). Then there is the Community  Development (BL) of 2%. "A lot have distributed such funding, but have not yet reached 4%. Especially for State-owned companies involved in the field of natural resources, there is an additional program called CSR. Thus, there are 2% for PK funding, 2% for BL and  2% for CSR," he said.

 

Meanwhile, the resource person from IPB Prof. Herry Suhardiyanto MSc (Rector of IPB) on the same occasion said that the Partnership Program and Community Development Fund  delivered to higher educations is directed to scholarships for outstanding and less able students.  "In addition, we also use these funds for research costs for students and faculty members to find new innovations," he said. (mtd)