Purbaya Asks The Minister Of MSMEs To Report Allegations Of Direct Customs, Not To The Media

Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadive. (Photo: Aris Nurjani/VOI))

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadive also responded to the statement by the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Maman Abdurrahman regarding the alleged existence of Customs and Excise personnel who passed illegal goods into Indonesia.

Purbaya regretted that the statement was conveyed to the media, not directly to him.

He emphasized that such reports should be submitted directly so that they can be followed up immediately.

"Oh, Mr. Maman said that? Why didn't you report to me, why did you (journalists) report it? If you report it to me, I will clean it up," said Purbaya when met after the 1-year event of the Prabowo-Gibran administration, Thursday, October 16.

Purbaya emphasized that his party is serious about revamping the Customs and Excise environment and is currently identifying individuals involved in any violation so that they can be processed according to the provisions.

"Where are the players, who are they, we will fix them later. I am currently active again Customs to list or improve its performance. So first we list who the players are, we will arrest them later, we will process them one by one," he said.

Furthermore, Purbaya again emphasized the importance of direct coordination between Ministries/Institutions (K/L) in dealing with problems like this.

"So especially if Mr. Maman has problems like that, tell me, don't tell me. I'll fix it later. Later, please tell him," he said.

Previously, MSME Minister Maman Abdurrahman said that MSME players in Indonesia were facing heavy pressure due to the flood of imported products from China.

In the midst of these challenges, he stated that his job is to protect and ensure that MSMEs remain able to survive and develop.

However, Maman highlighted that there are unscrupulous Customs and Excise employees who are suspected of abusing their authority, so that illegal goods can enter Indonesia illegally, thus exacerbating the competition faced by local MSMEs.

"We know that there are still many people in Customs and Excise who play. I call it an individual, I don't call it an institution, who plays. In the end, goods or goods that are said to be illegal but called legal also come in a lot. This ultimately makes micro, small, medium enterprises we can't compete," he said.

Di sisi lain, Maman mengusulkan agar UMKM didorong untuk menciptakan produk-produk yang serupa dengan barang branded yang populer di pasar, seperti yang dilakukan oleh produsen di Tiongkok.

"Ya udah kita dorong para pengrajin-pengrajin tas kita, membuat produk yang sama seperti produk-produk tas branded dalam hal ini, tas-tas China itu. Misalnya namanya apa tuh, Louis? Louis Vuitton. Ya gua sarankan kita buat barangnya sama kurang lebih, tapi namanya kita sebut Louis Vuttong," tuturnya.

Menurut Maman, pendekatan seperti itu bisa dianggap sebagai bentuk kreativitas dan menekankan bahwa Indonesia tidak boleh pasif dalam menghadapi dominasi produk asing dan harus berani mengambil langkah yang melindungi industri dalam negeri.

On the other hand, Maman suggested that MSMEs be encouraged to create products similar to popular branded goods in the market, such as those made by producers in China.

"Yes, we have encouraged our bag craftsmen to make the same products as branded bag products in this case, Chinese bags. For example, what is the name, Louis? Louis Vuitton. Yes, I suggest we make the same goods more or less, but the name we call Louis Vuttong," he said.

According to Maman, such an approach can be considered as a form of creativity and emphasizes that Indonesia must not be passive in dealing with foreign product domination and must dare to take steps to protect the domestic industry.