Gibran Supports Jokowi's Statement Of Hating Foreign Products, Promises To Branding Jamu And Coffee

Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming and Menaker Ida Fauziyah (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Mayor of Solo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, responded to President Joko Widodo's call about hating foreign products. According to him, products made by Indonesian children are good enough to compete with foreign products.

The problem lies only in branding and packaging, which need government intervention.

"We will immediately do it including MSME assistance, we will assist everything later. I am sure our products can compete with foreign products," said Gibran after accompanying Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah to visit the Surakarta Work Training Center (BLK) in Solo. , 10 March.

Gibran is optimistic that local products made by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will be able to compete with foreign products imported into Indonesia. Just look at the BLK alumni who are able to mix herbal mixed coffee.

"Our local products are all good, we can see that there are BLK alumni who can make herbal medicine, combine herbal medicine with coffee, besides that, the fashion products are also there," he said.

Apart from MSMEs, Surakarta also continues to encourage economic recovery. One of them is by speeding up vaccination to ensure that the community is better protected from COVID-19 so that activities can recover.

According to him, with a healthy community condition, the economy will be stronger. Thus, it is also hoped that the unemployment rate can also be further reduced.

"I talk about economic recovery every day, that's why we speed up the vaccination first. In parallel with that, we will increase the number of 'innovation rooms', 'co-working spaces', incubations, facilitators, 'public spaces' especially for young people," he said.

He also asked MSME players to do the digitalization process like it or not so that they could expand their market even further.

"That was packaging, branding and marketing. I believe Solo can compete with foreign products," he said.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) invited the Indonesian people to hate foreign products. He asked people to love local products.

"Domestic products echo. Echoes also hate foreign products. Not only love, but hate. Love our goods, hate foreign products," he said as quoted from YouTube's Presidential Secretariat, Thursday, March 4.

Jokowi's statement drew reactions from various parties. In response to this, Jokowi stated that it was okay to dislike foreign or foreign products. According to him, this is the time for Indonesians to love and be proud of local products.

"It's okay to dislike foreign products, you can't dislike it, it's okay to dislike foreign products. That's just how busy it is. I just hate foreign products, I don't like foreign products," said Jokowi at the Working Meeting. National Hipmi 2021, Friday, March 5.