Member Of The House Of Representatives From PKS Party Faction: Do Not Let The Fees On Balance Checking And Cash Withdrawal At Link ATM Burdens The MSMEs

JAKARTA - Member of Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR), Nevi Zuairina stated that the policy of imposition of fees for balance checking and cash withdrawals at Link banks ATM, members of the Association of State-Owned Banks (Himbara) will be implemented starting June 1, 2021, should not complicate transactions to MSMEs.

"I agree with the policy to encourage cashless transactions. But the way to implement it must be wise, efficient, and effective. I ask Himbara policy to charge Link ATM to encourage cashless transactions should not make transactions difficult for MSMEs", Nevi Zuairina said in a written statement in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Thursday, May 27.

Members of the House of Representatives from the PKS Party Faction realized that the initial goal of Himbara bank to develop Link ATM network is to reduce operational costs so that the service fee that must be paid by customers at the red plate bank becomes cheaper.

Nevi also reminded that until February 2021, MSMEs who use and optimize digital technology in their business including financial transactions, the number has only reached about 13 percent of all MSMEs in Indonesia totaling about 64 million.

"If you look at this data, which is the publication data of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, the number of MSMEs that already use digital technology is still relatively small. Therefore, the policy of realizing the implementation of digital transactions must also calculate all the possibilities that exist. It is worth considering some people who have difficulty in transacting with MSMEs because of technical problems of payment", she said.

There are still many, she continued, there will still be a lot of MSMEs that do not have a digital payment platform in the near future which results in a decrease in revenue for them because the buyer community tends to turn to businesses that have already made digital payments.

She asked the government to ensure in advance that MSMEs are connected to the bank. Please note, until now there are still around 20 million MSMEs who have not been connected.

"The government must immediately build business infrastructure by ensuring that MSMEs are already using digital payment platforms so that MSMEs can continue to grow in every rapidly changing age", she said.

She argues that ensuring that businesses are ready to familiarize themselves with all aspects of their business including transactions, will make government policy in encouraging cashless financial transactions will be more effective and efficient.