The Minister Of Industry Needs Singaporean Assistance To Unload Illegal Imports Of Used Shoes

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita confirmed that he would dismantle the illegal imported cases of used shoes from Singapore, which recently occurred.

"I asked to be dismantled. Yes, it must be dismantled and destroyed (illegal shoe import cases)," said Minister of Industry Agus to reporters at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, Thursday, March 9.

According to Agus, the import of these illegal shoes has harmed Indonesia, especially since the domestic footwear industry is currently still in a slumped condition.

"That's why everything must be dismantled, all of the illegal ones must be dismantled. Moreover, the footwear is now in a slump. So, we have to dismantle it," he said.

Furthermore, Minister of Industry Agus confirmed that the imported case of used shoes also interfered with Singaporeans, which investigated which turned out to be Singaporeans themselves who immediately organized and procured used shoes and sent them to Indonesia.

Therefore, he asked the Singapore government for help to be able to completely dismantle the import scandal of the used shoes.

"Yes, that's why the Singapore government must also be able to help us to dismantle it," he concluded.

Previously, there were findings of videos from the investigation of one of the journalists in Singapore, who revealed that a number of used shoes from the country were donated by their owners for the sustainability project, but it turned out to end up in markets in Indonesia.

Related to this, the Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said the import practice had to be stopped immediately because it had a bad impact on the domestic footwear industry.

"This incident shows that illegal imports of used shoes are carried out in an organized manner and misuse of social projects. The Ministry of Industry cannot act alone to fight this illegal import activity," he said in a press statement, Monday, March 6.