Indonesia Ideally Should Have Only 80 State-Owned Firms

Jakarta (Antara) - The state enterprises minister, Dahlan Iskan, said Indonesia ideally should only have 80 state-owned companies compared with the current 141. Currently, if efforts to merge a few of the state-owned companies under one holding company is realized, their number can be tapered down to about 120, Dahlan said after a meeting with the coordinating minister for economy, Chairul Tanjung, here on Thursday. "But, the number from the original 140 should be lowered to 120, the ideal number is 80 firms," he said. According to him, the government is now attempting to form two state enterprise holding companies relating to plantations and forestry. Thus, the holding companies will then be expected to facilitate control and optimize the advantages of state enterprises. (*) Reporting by Indra Arief Pribadi EDITED BY INE