Cooking Oil Prices Still Expensive, Member Of Commission IV DPR: Jokowi Should Reshuffle The Trade Minister

JAKARTA - Prices of basic commodities at the beginning of Ramadan this year continued to increase. One of the things whose prices have not gone down is cooking oil. As is known, the price of premium packaged cooking oil has been released following the economic price. Meanwhile, for bulk, the government has set a HET of Rp. 14,000.

Member of Commission IV of the DPR RI, Slamet, said that this condition was considered inseparable from the government's weak attitude towards domestic cooking oil entrepreneurs.

In fact, continued Slamet, the government has the authority. But unfortunately it is not used to pressure entrepreneurs who play with prices.

"According to the technical ministry, the stock is sufficient, but why has the price increased? Second, our businessmen are greedy who don't want to empathize with the people's plight, but they only think about economic benefits," he told reporters, quoted Tuesday, April 5.

According to Slamet, the two conditions are where the weakness of the government and greedy businessmen make cooking oil prices rise.

In addition, Slamet continued, the very visible absence of sanctions against the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) has failed to become an extension of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in anticipating price fluctuations and the adequacy of food supply.

According to Slamet, this also shows his managerial weakness in the midst of a not so conducive situation. He considered that the Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi should be subject to a reshuffle in the next cabinet change.

"The President should have resuffled the Minister of Trade who has failed to anticipate the shortage of staple foods," he said.