Deputy Chair of House of Representatives' Public Aspirations Agency Defends Thrift Traders: They Were Born Because State Failed to Implement Constitutional Mandate

JAKARTA - Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives' (DPR) BAM from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction, Adian Napitupulu, defended thrifting vendors, whom the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Trade are attempting to crack down on, claiming they are illegal and detrimental to MSMEs. According to Adian, thrifting emerged because the state failed to fulfill its constitutional mandate, particularly in providing decent jobs for the Indonesian people.

Adian made this statement during a hearing (RDP) with thrifting vendors in the DPR BAM room, Nusantara II Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, November 19.

Adian first revealed data on thrifting, which is popular among millennials and Gen Z, who care about the environment. He stated that a single thrifting product can save thousands of liters of clean water.

"Let's start with thrifting. My glasses are thrifted, my leather jacket is thrifted, my shirt is thrifted, my pants are thrifted, and the shoes I wear are also thrifted. Thrifting has been around for a long time," Adian began his response.

"Likely, on November 12th, I WhatsApped Mr. Purbaya and invited him to discuss thrifting. Why? Global research shows that 67 percent of millennials and Gen Z like thrifting. The survey then explained why millennials and Gen Z like thrifting: because of the low prices? No. Because it's good? Yes. Then, the most dominant reason is a shift in perspective that may not have existed in previous generations. That when they buy thrifted clothes, are they making an effort to conserve clean water? This is our data," he explained.

Adian explained the need for clean water for the textile industry. He said that one pair of jeans requires 3,781 liters, one cotton t-shirt requires 2,700 liters, or the equivalent of 2.5 years of drinking water, and one laborer's shirt requires 2,700 liters.

"So, if research shows that 67 percent of millennials enjoy thrifting, this is one of the reasons. This means that thrifting cannot be viewed as simply as Mr. Purbaya stated," he said.

Adian then analogized thrifting with motorcycle taxis. "If we talk about illegality, it's illegal. Everything illegal is going to be shut down. So, we ask, can motorcycles be used as public transportation? This means that if motorcycle taxis are consistently prohibited by law, that's why we haven't changed the law for 14 years. In quotation marks, we agree to violate the law together, something like that," he said.

Adian believes that the state, in this case the government, must make decisions not based on individual interests, but on the collective interest built on accurate numerical calculations.

"(Thrifting is only) 0.5 percent, very small. So, let's calculate this together because Adian isn't necessarily right, and you aren't necessarily right either. Adian could be wrong, and you could be wrong too. How do we manage the country well? We need to sit together and gather the truth from every piece of data and figure to come to a conclusion," he said.

Adian emphasized that what the thrifting traders said was correct because they are also MSMEs. By definition, they meet the definition of MSMEs.

"With this much capital, this much work, and this much annual turnover, the story is about how illegal MSMEs are killing legal MSMEs, or what the actual narrative is, or MSMEs are killing each other, or what," he said.

"Well, this is what I think, so we don't make mistakes. I understand Mr. Purbaya's good intentions, the Minister of Trade's good intentions. I'm very aware of this, but good intentions without good data can be detrimental. As a member of the House of Representatives, I'll try to open communication. Let's talk about it first. If I'm wrong, I'll say so. If I'm right, what do I do?" added the PDIP legislator from the West Java electoral district.

Because, broadly speaking, Adian added, there would be no street vendors and thrift vendors if the state were capable of fulfilling its constitutional mandate and providing decent employment for all its citizens.

"Because this state failed, street vendors emerged. They didn't emerge because of demand; they emerged because the state failed to provide constitutional measures for the people when they sought a living illegally. Why are they being blamed again? Why are they being blamed again when they become buskers? Why are the state blaming them again when they become street vendors? Aren't they responding to the state's failure with their creativity? And I think this is what we need to straighten out in our thinking about how the state addresses this, for whom and how," Adian concluded.