Jokowi Orders Staff To Use Budget To Buy Domestic Products

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) ordered his staff to use their budget to buy domestic products (PDN).

He stressed that he did not want to hear that the central and regional budgets were used to buy imported goods.

This was conveyed by Jokowi in his remarks at the Opening of the 2022 National Coordination Meeting for Government Internal Control, Tuesday, June 14.

Initially, Jokowi said that he had just visited Wakatobi. He said the local products there were packaged very well.

Including the branding of its products which is very good. Therefore, Jokowi questioned why his staff chose to buy imported products.

"I'll just give an example of a low feed sewing machine. Look at the import price of IDR 13 million and the domestic price of IDR 12.8 million. What's the difference? It's cheaper, obviously. one red, one white. I like white. None. Buy white", said Jokowi.

Not only that, Jokowi said, examples of other imported goods are nasal oxygen cannulas and oxygen pipes.

Based on his search, said Jokowi, the import price was IDR 8.3 million. Meanwhile, the domestic price is IDR 6.9 million.

"Buy imports, I check. Buy imports. The reason is there. The quality, sir, the specs, sir, don't fit, it's like we people don't understand the problem of specifications. Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) is like this check. Use the PDN", he said.

Then, Jokowi also mentioned the import of mechanical equipment.

He said import prices are indeed cheaper than domestic prices. Where the import price is IDR 22.9 million, while the domestic price is IDR 28 million.

"Keep buying the PDN. Don't say it's cheaper to import. No. It's a bit adrift to buy domestic products. Because the added value is in the country, there are jobs in the country. There's no reason", he said.