Thrifting Ngadu Traders To DPR BAM, Ask To Be Legalized Or Given Limited Quota Not Accompanied

JAKARTA - The DPR RI's Community Aspiration Agency (BAM) held a hearing (RDP) with Thrifting traders throughout Indonesia and the Cigudeg Parung Panjang community alliance at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, November 19.

In his aspiration, representatives of Thrifting traders from Pasar Senen, Jakarta, Rifai Silalahi asked BAM to provide a solution to the ban on the sale of used goods or Thrifting in Indonesia.

Rifai initially alluded to the statement of the Minister of Finance, Purbaya Yudhi Sadive regarding the thrifting to be suppressed. He was surprised that Thrifting traders were said to have killed MSMEs.

"Please, your permission, in fact, we have been involved in this business for decades, and almost every year it has always been an issue. We don't know why this herding issue is always raised, such as very sexy issues," said Rifai at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, November 19.

"Recently, many actions have been taken by the relevant authorities regarding the existence of a thrifting business. In our intention to go to BAM, we expect a short-term, long-term solution, if necessary, there will be permanent results for this Already Thrifting, sir," he continued.

Rifai said that his party objected if all this time the threatening business was identified as disturbing MSMEs in Indonesia. Because according to him, it was imported goods from China that actually stole the MSME market.

"So we need to underline this threatening part of MSMEs. We include MSME players. If you say this threatening disturbs MSMEs, the market is different, sir. Because what we know is that thrifting products have different market share, new clothes or local industries are different. So why is it loved, because Thrifting is next to cheap prices, the quality is also good. So that's what makes thrifting interesting. Now why is it called killing MSMEs? Not the threatening that kills MSMEs but Chinese imported clothes that control 80 percent of the market share in Indonesia, "he explained.

"So it is not your threatening father who damaged the MSMEs. That's 80 percent of China, 20 percent of several countries. We hope that for the thrifting that is used as the reason for killing MSMEs, we strongly object," he continued.

Rifai said that his party had spoken to local industrial traders or MSMEs. According to him, they do not mind the existence of Thrifting.

Rifai then questioned the real reason for the prohibition against Thrifting traders. The reason is, the issue of Thrifting always sticks out every year.

"The next issue, sir, he said (thrifting) contains a disease. He said that Thrifting brought the virus with bacteria, but we ask for your honorable permission, we have been in this business for decades and we have never heard of anyone wearing a Thrifting shirt that is itching or getting sick, never," said Rifai.

"It was once tested in 2010, it happened, more or less like now, it says it contains the SARS virus, there is no time to test it. So actually all thrifting issues seem to be created for almost every year. We don't understand what the agenda is. But whether because of the economic competition between Chinese products that are flooding our country, maybe the presence of this thrifting is starting to disturb the market share of Chinese goods that are currently free," he said.

Therefore, Rifai hopes that the DPR BAM can provide concrete solutions related to the problems experienced by thrifting traders. Rifai then gave two options, the Thrifting business was legalized or there were quota restrictions on the sale of Thrifting goods.

"We hope that coming to BAM, we ask what is the best solution for this thrifting, sir. We hope that in fact, like in other countries, this threatening is legalized, why in developed countries can be legalized, in us or not, sir? Because actually we cover almost 7.5 million related to clothing. Thrifting," said Rifai.

According to Rifai, the Minister of Finance's statement that he would eradicate Thrifting from upstream would actually kill the 7.5 million fortunes of the Indonesian people who are trying to be in this field. For this reason, he hopes, BAM can bridge the two options to be submitted to the government.

"So yesterday's ministerial statement, if you eradicate thrifting from upstream, it will automatically kill 7.5 million people related to thrifting. This business, starting from Sabang to Merauke, sir, has been trying for this to be hereditary. Even we go to school, meet the daily needs of this thrifting. That needs to be underlined, sir," explained Rifai.

"We hope that the solution for us is legalized, but if it cannot be legalized, we hope that there will be a limited ban because other products also have something similar, meaning that imports are given a limited quota, not turned off. So the solution we hope for is legalized or at least given a quota with a limited ban," he concluded.