Indonesia's Ministry of UMKM rebrands 'actors' as 'entrepreneurs

The Indonesian Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) has officially changed the terminology used for those in the sector, replacing the term ‘pelaku’ (actor/operator) with ‘pengusaha’ (entrepreneur).

Berry Fauzy, Head of the Micro Enterprise Supply Chain Division at the Ministry, stated during a business meeting in Tanjung Selor, North Kalimantan, that the change follows direct instructions from the Minister. The ministry aims to remove the negative connotations associated with the word ‘pelaku’ and instead foster a sense of pride and motivation among business owners.

The policy seeks to shift the public perception of the UMKM sector from being a fallback option due to lack of employment to being a deliberate and proud professional choice. The ministry intends to socialize this new nomenclature on a national scale.