Eko Patrio Cecar Trade Minister Lutfi Concerning Troubled Cooking Oil Hotlines: Should Your Ministry Class Have Imaging?

Member of Commission VI Eko Patrio. (Screen capture of Commission VI meeting with the Minister of Trade)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Trade has opened a hotline service to monitor the application of one price cooking oil 24 hours a week. However, it is known that the hotline is problematic. Because it is not accessible to the public.

This was revealed by a member of Commission VI Eko Patrio. He said he received complaints from the public that the hotline could not be connected when contacted.

"This hotline is a problem, sir. The hotline for cooking oil is problematic at 0812 1235 9337, which has been contacted many times with anyone including the Minister, I can't, sir," he said, during a virtual Commission VI meeting with the Minister of Trade, Monday, 31 January.

According to Eko, the Ministry of Trade must ensure how the hotline can be contacted by the public. Not only himself as a representative of the people, and Trade Minister Lutfi.

"It wasn't Eko who spoke. But also friends or those who had problems with yesterday's migraine, sir, so he asked me, 'Sir Eko is in Commission VI, sir, please communicate that both hotlines are not working'. So it means this "How can this hotline not only connect to you and me, but also to the wider community," he said.

Eko also admitted that he was worried that the hotline was only present as part of the image carried out by the Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi.

"I saw this, oh, maybe it's true that what is called imaging and so on. I feel really sad about that. During your Ministry class, why do you have to have imaging too," he said.

In response to this, the Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi said that the hotline was not for individuals or the general public. However, for distributors and retail stores that have problems with the one-price cooking oil policy.

"Gini, Pak Eko, this is not for women, this is not for consumers, this (hotline) is for distributors, those who own stores. Incidentally, yesterday's policy was for modern retail. So Alfamart and Indomaret have the most 84 thousand branches," said Lutfi.

Lutfi explained that the Ministry of Trade had indeed issued three hotlines related to one-price cooking oil. Unlike what Eko said, according to Lutfi, he had tried to contact the hotline and it was connected.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm trying to call. We have three numbers, one for online talking, one using WhatsApp, and one using zoom. All three are on, this was just tried," he said.

The former United States Ambassador also does not accept that he is called imaging. According to him, no imaging has been done regarding the hotline.

He also once again emphasized that the hotline exists to assist distributors and retail store owners regarding the problems they face in implementing the one-price cooking oil policy.

"So sorry, sir (Eko). So we have to be fair first and I don't have an image. If there is uncertainty, call this number (hotline). Now this number is for today we change it to tender at KPP, to ensure CPO it comes to the processing site so that refunding can run. That's the problem, so this doesn't have anything to do with the community," he said.

Lutfi also invited Eko Patrio and other commission VI to visit the Ministry of Trade to see firsthand that the hotline serves complaints 24 hours a day. In fact, the Ministry of Trade employees stayed in the office.

"One day we serve about 600 telephones, 24/7 people live in this office, sir. Pak Eko can see coming to Trade. Please (come), now people can see this, there is even a bed in the office," he said.

For your information, the Ministry of Trade previously opened a hotline service to monitor the implementation of 1 price cooking oil 24 hours a week which can be accessed by all parties via WhatsApp instant messages at 0812 1235 9337 by email [email protected] or Zoom video conference with ID 969 0729 1086 (password: migor).