Sharia Banks Owned by SOEs Must Focus on MSMEs

Jakarta, MINA – Chairman of PP Muhammadiyah Anwar Abbas asked sharia banks owned by the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) must focus on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and not on large businesses.

“The SOE ministry’s plan to merge SOEs-owned Islamic banks should be carefully thought out because it will make MSMEs increasingly unnoticed,” Anwar said in a written statement received by MINA on Saturday (July 4).

According to Anwar, the head of the merged bank will most likely be compelled to channel its financing to large companies or corporations.

“It is more practical and cost to finance it as we know it is relatively the same as a small business. As a result, small and medium businesses will be neglected and not served, even though the number of business actors and workers at the MSME level is very large, “he said.

Even though according to Bank Indonesia this MSME problem has been regulated through PBI NO 17 of 2015 article 2 paragraph 1 and 2 but MSME financing is still very small, the bank’s obligation to disburse financing to MSMEs is only 20 percent.

“This certainly feels unfair because the number of MSMEs in this country is 99.99 percent and large businesses are only 0.01 percent. The amount of 99.99 percent can only be 20 percent, while the amount is only 0.01 can be financing by 80 percent. Even though the number of MSME business operators is around 62 million and large businesses are only around 5,000, “said Anwar.

Anwar hoped that the management of the SOEs’s sharia banking would not need to be merged. The government only focuses on promoting MSMEs and may not enter into big businesses. Big business should be managed by other banks because the economic imbalances that occur in the country are very sharp.

“Government policies should not add to the complexity. It should be directed to ways to create and uphold economic equality in the midst of society, “he said.

For that reason, the mandate that must be placed on the leaders is not just how they are prioritizing efficiency but also how they can help create justice and economic equality in society

“With that, we can boost MSMEs to the next level. a number of middle-class economic actors in this country will soon get stronger and bigger. Justice and equal distribution of the greatest prosperity of the people in this country can be realized, “he said. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)