President is going to turn on textile BUMN, DPR: Sandang is a basic need that must be fulfilled by the state

The Republic of Indonesia will form a new textile BUMN, prepare a fund of 6 billion US dollars. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission VII of the House of Representatives Bambang Haryo Soekartono appreciates President Prabowo Subianto's plan to revive the textile SOEs to meet the basic needs of the community. According to him, the government does have an obligation to guarantee basic human needs, as stipulated in the 1945 Constitution and Law Number 13 of 2011 concerning the management of the poor.

Bambang said that human needs include clothing, food, and board. This means, he said, that clothing must be the first thing to be met by the state, followed by food, and then board or housing.

"This clothing is very important as a basic need of the community, which must be met by the state. In accordance with the 1945 Constitution, Market 34 Verse 1," said Bambang Haryo, Saturday, January 17.

The Gerindra legislator hopes that the Textile SOEs or the Sandang SOEs are able to become a stabilizer of the thousands of garment industries in Indonesia. The Sandang SOEs, said Bambang, must also be a stabilizer of the market or sufficiency of the market, to maintain the balance between supply and demand.

"And prevent the industries from creating cartelization, which makes clothes in Indonesia expensive," he said.

In addition, Bambang also assessed that the State-Owned Enterprises Sandang must be a price stabilizer to ensure that the prices that develop in the market are not too expensive, because there are SOEs as their competitors. "Finally, the State-Owned Enterprises Sandang must be able to become a stabilizer of quality or quality," he said.

Furthermore, Bambang admitted that he regretted the era of the Joko Widodo government's removal of textile SOEs. At that time, the Sandang Nusantara Industry (ISN) as an Indonesian textile SOE which was established in 1961, was officially dissolved by the Government through PP Number 14 of 2020, which was followed by the RUPS of the Minister of SOEs. ISN assets were also auctioned at that time.

"This is very unfortunate. The action of mortgaging the garment industry is an action that is not in favor of the small, middle, and upper classes. All people in Indonesia. Because this garment guarantee is important," he said.

Therefore, Bambang highly appreciates President Prabowo Subianto's step to rebuild the garment industry. "This is a very good humanitarian act. Because this is a need that must be realized by the state, the government and the DPR. Don't let stupidity close the garment industry that is brought up again," he concluded.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the government would form a new state-owned enterprise (BUMN) specifically for the textile sector. The plan is a direction from President Prabowo Subianto during a meeting in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java on January 11.

The reason is that the textile and garment industry is considered to be the front line in facing the risk of US tariff policies.

"We will form a new state-owned enterprise for textiles. We will not revive (the old textile company)," said Airlangga at the Indonesian Business Council (IBC) Business Outlook 2026 in Jakarta, reported by Antara.