'This Is APBD Money, You Buy Imported Products, Aren't Our People Stupid,' Jokowi Was Furious That Regional Shopping Centers Were Dominated By Foreign Products

President Joko Widodo delivers remarks at the Opening of the 2022 Government Internal Control National Coordination Meeting (Via ANTARA)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo is angry that the spending of the central government, namely ministries/agencies to local governments is still dominated by imported products, although there are 842 products that can be substituted and can be purchased via e-catalog.

In his remarks at the Opening of the 2022 Government's National Coordination Meeting for Internal Supervision, President Jokowi said that there are substitute products that are produced domestically, which can replace the imported products.

"I know that many ministries, many institutions, many regional (governments) do not want to buy domestic products. The reasons are various. The specs are not right, the quality is not good. The reasons are many. There are 842 products in the e-catalog which are actually There is domestic production," said President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the Jakarta Presidential Palace, Antara, Tuesday, June 14.

The President emphasized that central and regional government spending must consider three important things, namely creating added value, generating domestic economic growth and thirdly being efficient.

According to the President, the government budget, both APBN and APBD which has been collected from tax payments and PNBP should be allocated for spending on domestic products that generate added value and increase economic growth.

"This is the APBN, you know. This is APBD money, you know. Buy imported products. The added value can be obtained by other countries, jobs that can be obtained by other people. Are our people stupid?," the President emphasized.

Therefore, the Head of State asked the Government Internal Supervisory Apparatus (APIP) and the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) to continue to oversee so that domestic products can dominate central and regional government spending.

Meanwhile, Head of BPKP Muhammad Yusuf Ateh explained that until the first quarter of 2022, imported products still dominated e-catalogs.

However, conditions gradually improved after President Joko Widodo issued Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 2 of 2022 concerning the Acceleration of Increasing the Use of Domestic Products and Products of Micro, Small Business, and Cooperatives in the context of the Success of the Proud National Movement Made in Indonesia in the Implementation of the Procurement of Goods/Services. Government.

"In the third week of May 2022, local products have dominated the national e-catalog, although transactions for imported products are still higher," said Yusuf Ateh.