Rizal Ramli's Strong Insinuation For Trade Minister Lutfi For Rare Cooking Oil In Several Regions: Minister Jokowi Wins In Style

Senior economist, Rizal Ramli. (Photo: Instagram @rizalramliofficial)

JAKARTA - Responding to the scarcity of cooking oil in traditional markets, Senior Economist Rizal Ramli criticized the performance of the president in President Joko Widodo's cabinet, which was judged to only win in style.

Through a tweet on his Twitter account @RamliRizal, he accused the Minister of Trade M Lutfi of not being able to work because he had not succeeded in overcoming the problem of scarcity of cooking oil which had been happening for more than a month.

"Indeed Jokowi's ministers can't work, it's been more than a month, they can't even lower the price of cooking oil. Just win in style," he tweeted on February 1.

Previously, a member of Commission VI of the House of Representatives, Eko Hendro Purnomo alias Eko Patrio, said the same thing, who said the Ministry of Trade's hotline for cooking oil was just a form of imaging the Minister of Trade.

On the same occasion, Lutfi denied that he was doing an image by holding a hotline. According to him, his job as the Minister of Trade has made him dizzy, so there is no need to carry out imaging as alleged.

"There is no imaging problem. So the trade minister is already dizzy," he said in a meeting with Commission VI of the House of Representatives, Monday, January 31, 2022.

Previously, responding to the ongoing scarcity, Trade Minister Lutfi again lowered the price of cooking oil from one price at IDR 14000/liter to IDR 11500/liter on Tuesday, February 1.

The Minister of Trade also instructed producers to accelerate the distribution of cooking oil and ensure that there were no vacancies at the level of traders and retailers, both in traditional and modern retail markets.

He also appealed to the public to be wise in buying and not to do panic buying because the government guarantees that cooking oil stocks will remain available at affordable prices.

"The government will also take very strict legal steps for business actors who violate the provisions," said Lutfi.

Through this policy, he hopes that people can continue to get cooking oil at affordable prices and traders and producers will still benefit.