Megawati Criticized Tokopedia For Selling Goods Made Outside Of Indonesia

Megawati Soekarnoputri (Photo: VOI/Ho-DPP PDI-P)

JAKARTA - The 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia Megawati Soekarnoputri criticized one e-commerce store, namely Tokopedia, which sells many foreign-made goods instead of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (UMKM).

In fact, so far President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has always invited entrepreneurs to empower or help local MSMEs to develop more.

"I'm a little critical, yes, constructive criticism. Why if I browse on Tokopedia where non-Indonesian products are served. Even though Pak Jokowi as President has said let's help MSMEs," Megawati said in a webinar broadcast on the Megawati Institute's YouTube, Tuesday, 29 June.

The webinar was attended by a number of figures, including the Founder and CEO of Tokopedi William Tanuwijaya, special staff to the president of Putri Tanjung, to the Minister of Culture, Research and Technology (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Makarim.

He further said that local MSMEs must be given assistance so that they can develop in the midst of technological sophistication as it is now. Moreover, many MSMEs in the country that have products such as woven fabrics or batik are not yet known because they are not touched by technology.

Even if they are touched by technology, they are considered prone to being deceived so they must be given a good container.

"They are very fragile, why? They are very traditional, they really love the nation's culture so they show it from an artistic perspective, there are making baskets, batik, cloth, very fragile. Because they don't know how to work. That's why I say fragile they are very easy, sorry, to be deceived," said Mega.

The general chairman of the PDI-P then told about the products from the Endek Bali area that were popular recently. Megawati said, the Balinese art product in the form of cloth received a collaboration with an international brand, Dior.

However, it is very unfortunate that one piece of cloth is priced between Rp. 120 thousand to Rp. 160 thousand. In fact, Megawati is sure, the selling price of the cloth will be very high.

So, he invites young people who understand about art to learn from it.

"If you already have the Dior, how much will you sell it for? It's not impossible, I'm not anti-foreign, but it's our property, the property of our people who should be helped, that they must be guided from upstream to downstream," he explained.

So, he hopes that the e-Commerce platform can help local MSMEs a lot. In addition, Mega hopes that local entrepreneurs will be assisted so that their products can be patented.

"I have said that every Indonesian art product must be patented. I don't know if you can help it or not. Maybe it will change later," said Megawati.