Small Cigarette Industry Submits Demands Through Panca Ampera

The perpetrator of the people's cigarette industry, HRM Khalilur R Abdullah Sahlawiy or Gus Lilur (Ist)

JAKARTA - The perpetrator of the people's cigarette industry, HRM Khalilur R Abdullah Sahlawiy or Gus Lilur, conveyed five demands summarized in the Panca Ampera concept (Five Amanat of Tobacco Farmers of Madura-Nusantara) in the midst of action against illegal cigarettes and alleged tax tape irregularities.

The owner of the Nusantara Global Cigarette Factory Group (BARONG Group) emphasized that the five points were the direct voice of tobacco farmers, workers, and small business actors who have been the backbone of the national tobacco industry.

"This is not just an aspiration, but a voice from below that the government must hear," Gus Lilur said in a written statement, Monday, April 13.

The first point, he asked that there be no criminalization of indigenous cigarette entrepreneurs, especially at the UMKM scale. According to him, law enforcement must be carried out fairly and proportionately, without equating small business actors with large networks of violations.

"People's cigarette entrepreneurs should not be positioned as enemies. They are part of the people's economy that needs to be protected," he said.

On the other hand, on the second point, he emphasized that the practice of illegal cigarettes must still be dealt with firmly because it damages the industry ecosystem and harms the country.

"Enforcement must be targeted. Do not let the weakened ones be legal business actors who are growing," he said.

On the third point, Gus Lilur encouraged the government to immediately issue a special tax scheme for people's cigarettes. He assessed that the current tax tariff structure does not favor small business actors and is actually an obstacle to entering the legal system.

"We need a realistic tax policy so that MSMEs can survive and grow," he said.

Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of accelerating the establishment of the Madura Tobacco Special Economic Zone (KEK) as a long-term solution to strengthen the industry's downstream and added value.

"KEK Tembakau is a strategic step to build an integrated industrial ecosystem from upstream to downstream," he said.

On the last point, Gus Lilur asked the government to be more serious in ensuring the welfare of tobacco farmers, who have always been in the most vulnerable position in the industry chain.

"If farmers are not prosperous, this industry will not be strong. The state must be present to ensure a decent price and certainty of business," he said.

He emphasized that Panca Ampera was not merely a statement of attitude, but a policy direction that the government needed to consider in improving the national tobacco industry governance.

"If you want this industry to be strong, start from the bottom - from farmers and people's business actors," he concluded.