Prabowo Alludes To Another Mixed And Less Teaching Rice Pengoplos

President Prabowo Subianto/PHOTO via Instagram @prabowo

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto has again highlighted the practice of mixing subsidized rice which is repackaged and sold as premium rice at a higher price. Prabowo called the practice a greedy and impudent criminal act.

"That package was replaced with rice which was subsidized and it was affixed with the premium rice, he said the price added Rp5,000-Rp6,000. Is this true or not? This is a crime. This is not true, this is a crime that I say is impudent, greedy," Prabowo said in his speech during the 27th PKB Harlah in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 23, reported by ANTARA.

Prabowo revealed that he received reports related to this practice, which according to him caused state losses of up to Rp100 trillion every year.

Subsidized rice that should be sold to the public at affordable prices is repackaged and labeled as premium rice, then sold at a price difference of between Rp. 5,000 to Rp. 6,000 per kilogram.

Losses due to this practice, according to Prabowo, if left for five years can reach Rp1,000 trillion.

The President said that this number was sufficient to fix all schools, hospitals, and Islamic boarding schools throughout Indonesia.

"With Rp1,000 trillion we can improve all schools in Indonesia, we can help all hospitals, all Islamic boarding schools throughout Indonesia, Rp1,000 trillion," said the President.

Related to this, Prabowo stated that he had given instructions to the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Attorney General ST Burhanuddin to investigate and take action against the perpetrators.

The Head of State emphasized that legal steps should be taken firmly, including the confiscation of assets related to the crime.

Prabowo linked this to the mandate of the 1945 Constitution Article 33 which states that production branches that are important for the state and those that control the livelihoods of the people must be controlled by the state.

The President emphasized that rice, corn, and cooking oil are important commodities that fall into that category.

Prabowo also emphasized that the constitutional mandate of Article 33 Paragraph 3 states that the earth, water, and natural wealth contained therein are controlled by the state and used as much as possible for the prosperity of the people.

"Is rice important or not for the country? Corn important or not? Cooking oil is important or not? And those who control the lives of many people are controlled by the state, sorry yes. This is not Prabowo's mind, this is not Prabowo's wish, this is the order of the 1945 Constitution," said the President.