Mahfud Affirms That The Recommendation For Importing COVID-19 Necessities Is Not Random

YOGYAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD ensured that so far he has not made recommendations to every entrepreneur who wants to import COVID-19 necessities.

"People want to ask for my recommendation for imports because they say it's tax-free. I'll investigate how much and how much will be given to the public," Mahfud said when delivering a key speech in a webinar titled "Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic: PCR Test Controversy - Business or Crisis "which was held by the Indonesian Islamic University (UII) Yogyakarta, quoted by Antara, Thursday, November 18.

Mahfud said this was following accusations by a number of parties regarding the existence of state officials involved in the PCR business.

According to Mahfud, the involvement of business actors to help procure various goods needed for handling COVID-19, including medical devices at that time was inseparable from the program of the Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (KCPEN).

Through this program, the community is asked to be involved in producing goods for handling COVID-19, including that entrepreneurs are exempted from import taxes if they want to procure medicines or medical devices to help deal with COVID-19 in the country, which at that time was experiencing a spike in cases.

"At that time there was a tremendous panic crisis. That's why then in a state of horror like that the government issued KCPEN because at that time it had to be parallel (health care) with the national economic recovery," he said.

Following this policy, various mask industries emerged in the community. On the other hand, a number of companies have also started importing drugs from abroad to help deal with COVID-19.

"Then a kind of accusation appeared, well, this is an official's business and so on," he said.

Mahfud reiterated that the policy was taken due to the urgent situation because the supply of various goods for handling COVID-19, including masks, was very high while availability was minimal.

"I remind you that at that time we were all very panicked, so there was a call like that for anyone who wanted to make a factory free, the import was that it was to help deal with COVID-19 (hence) tax-free," he said.

However, he did not deny that there were unscrupulous businessmen who wanted to abuse this concession by asking for recommendations from him.

"So many people misuse my 'memo' that they will bring in these items from abroad for COVID-19 assistance, even though the 10 million imported (for the community) are only 100 pieces. That's there. It's normal in the trading world There's a lot of darkness like that," said Mahfud.