Demanding Muhammad Lutfi To Lower Cooking Oil Prices, 300 Workers Visit The Ministry Of Trade Tomorrow: The Trade Minister Is Failed

Minister of Trade, M. Lutfi. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Trade)

JAKARTA - Hundreds of workers and farmers will stage a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Trade's office, tomorrow. They demanded that the Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi lower the prices of basic commodities, including cooking oil.

KSPI President Said Iqbal said the demonstration would be attended by 300 people. The mass of the action came from various labor union organizations and farmers' unions in Jabodetabek

"Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 22, 2022, elements of workers and farmers will demonstrate in front of the office of the Ministry of Trade. The number of people who will protest is approximately 300 people," he said in a written statement, Monday, March 21.

The demonstration is scheduled to start at 10.00 WIB. Iqbal said the mass protest brought three demands, namely lowering the price of cooking oil, lowering the price of basic commodities and replacing the Minister of Trade.

"We ask the government to stabilize prices and reduce the prices of basic commodities, including cooking oil. The increase in the price of basic necessities, especially before Ramadan and Eid, of course, will burden the community," he said.

Moreover, this occurs when the increase in labor wages in 2022 is very small, even in some areas there is no increase.

"The price of cooking oil of Rp. 23,900 per liter is very burdensome for workers, farmers, fishermen, street vendors, rural poor, urban poor, unemployed. Not only is it expensive. But it is also scarce and people have to queue like beggars," he said.

In fact, said Iqbal, currently Indonesia is still the largest producer of crude palm oil (CPO) in the world, with a production figure of more than 40 million tons per year.

On that basis, Iqbal said the workers strongly condemn the Minister of Trade and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, who cannot control the world's largest CPO producing country, because cooking oil is currently scarce and expensive.

"We demand that the Minister of Trade be replaced because he has failed to control prices," he said.

Iqbal said the action was the initial action carried out by the workers and farmers. "If the demands are not met, the Labor Party together with the Trade Unions and Peasants' Unions will carry out larger and wider follow-up actions throughout Indonesia," he said.