Vice President Ma’ruf Amin appreciates the efforts to empower MSMEs carried out by Indonesian citizens in Japan through the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Center or UKM Center at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo. According to him, the presence of the UKM Center, including the presence of a Halal Vending Machine owned by Indonesian citizens in Japan, is very useful for developing the MSMEs of the Indonesian diaspora there. The UKM Center is facilitated by the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo and supported by banking synergies and the Tokyo branch of the State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) office to assist Indonesian business actors, especially MSMEs of the Indonesian diaspora in developing their businesses. “MSMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic have become a “cushion” for Indonesia’s economy, so that our economy can still be controlled, in contrast to countries that do not have MSMEs,” said Ma’ruf during a meeting with the Indonesian diaspora at the Ambassador’s House of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday (27/9/2022). He also said that MSMEs can be relied on to support the economy, especially if their products are of export standard and are well curated so that they can penetrate the international market. This pattern of MSME development, said Ma’ruf, can certainly encourage the growth of regional products such as handicraft products. Therefore, Ma’ruf fully supports the similar MSMEs development model and promises to coordinate it with the relevant ministries/agencies. “This is also a kind of effort to revitalize the regional economy to become a model for developing MSMEs,” said Ma’ruf. He added that his wife is the General Chairperson of the National Crafts Council (Dekranas) and is currently holding an exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center, so he will follow up on the development of MSMEs through the relevant ministries and institutions.
Meanwhile, during his honorary visit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Akasaka Palace, Ma’ruf used the meeting, one of them is to discuss employment issues. He will encourage the opening of Indonesian workers in various new fields such as tourism. “I will convey that Indonesia is ready to meet the needs of skilled workers for the industry in Japan. We will also continue to support efforts to increase our human resources, namely to be more competitive compared to workers from other countries,” he said. Ma’ruf said that the current government also continues to encourage the improvement of human resources through the provision of scholarships to continue studies both at home and abroad. This is done by the current government by continuing to strengthen the Indonesia Endowment Funds for Education (LPDP), especially to support students studying at leading universities abroad. “Increasing human resources is indeed one of the priorities because the key to our success and prosperity is human resources both at home and abroad. It is indeed the government’s commitment to preparing excellent human resources who can compete globally,” he concluded.
