News Desk, Jakarta – The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry has clarified a statement made by presidential expert staff member Gracia Billy Mambrasar, who claimed that 21 young Papuan entrepreneurs under his company had secured Rp 1.44 billion (US$92,286) from the ministry's revolving loan management agency.
Minister Teten Masduki was quoted by kontan.co.id as saying on Thursday that the ministry could only channel loans to cooperatives, while the 21 entrepreneurs' companies were not cooperatives. He said the ministry appreciated and fully supported the entrepreneurship training in Papua and he suggested the Papuan young entrepreneurs establish cooperatives.
His statement comes amid public scrutiny of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's millennial staff members who had been accused of abusing their position to get facilities.
In February, Billy and fellow millennial presidential staffer Putri Tanjung met with Teten Masduki and other officials from the ministry to introduce Billy's organization, Papua's Youth Movement, which included business training courses by his company, tempo.co reported.
Billy explained that the movement aimed to support 308 young entrepreneurs in Papua. Billy said the ministry would help channel Rp 1.44 billion in soft loans to 21 Papuan entrepreneurs that had been trained by his company. Each business unit would receive funds ranging from Rp 12 million to Rp 30 million.
He said a company called Kreavi, in which Putri is the chief business officer, would help the Papuan entrepreneurs to "rebrand" their products, tempo.co reported in February.
Billy's endeavor and the government support came under public scrutiny after his colleagues within the millennial presidential staff, Adamas Belva Syah Devara and Andi Taufan Garuda Putra, resigned recently following accusations of conflicts of interest. (dpk)