Deputy Speaker Of The House Of Representatives, Rachmat Gobel, Supports Jokowi's Annoyed Statement Of The Low Purchase Of Domestic Products

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rachmat Gobel. (Mary Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives for Coordination of Industry and Development (Korinbang) Rachmat Gobel supports President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) statement that state officials take sides with domestic products.

"There must be concrete steps to be realized and there must be strict sanctions for officials who do not implement them. And no less important is that they must be part of the audit process at BPK and BPKP, as well as ease of entry into e-catalogs by LKPP," said Rachmat Gobel through written statement, quoted from Antara, Saturday, March 26.

He made this statement in response to the President's statement at the Proud Made Indonesia affirmation event held in Bali, Friday, where President Jokowi admitted that he was annoyed by the low purchase of domestic products. Even though the imported products have been produced domestically and are not high-tech.

Rachmat Gobel welcomed President Jokowi's firm stance. Moreover, he said, actually the President had conveyed several times about the use of domestic products. Even the President has issued a government regulation that regulates the Domestic Component Level (TKDN) to regulate the alignment of national production.

He further reminded that the birth of the Job Creation Law was intended to increase foreign and domestic investment in order to build industry, create jobs, encourage economic growth, and build prosperity.

"But if the import is still reckless, then the Job Creation Act as an Omnibus Law will be in vain. Muspro if the Javanese say it's redundant," said Rachmat Gobel.

As a representative of the people, he repeatedly reminded about the necessity of taking sides with domestic products. Gobel also once questioned the effectiveness of State Equity Participation (PMN) to many SOEs worth trillions for the use of domestic products.

"Not even for imports, enriching other countries, and prospering workers from other countries. This really betrays the mandate of the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution," said the former Minister of Trade.

The incessant infrastructure development, he continued, should also not become an instrument for imports such as the purchase of steel, cement, equipment, cables, and electricity.

"Similarly with the development of the Nusantara IKN. Don't let it be imported again. In any country, development is a momentum to become a driving force for various things," said the former Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Industry, Technology, and Maritime Affairs.

He also reminded that development does not all come from taxes, but also from state and private loans, so it must add value to increasing domestic production which will have an impact on people's prosperity.

"The founding fathers of the nation did not establish this country to become a modern slave but for the glory and prosperity of all the people. Indonesia does not belong to the elite, but to all the nation's children. The President deeply appreciates the spirit of the founding fathers of this nation," he said.