Soekarno And Jokowi's Difference About Sarinah: Formerly A Convenience Store For Commoners, Now Storefront For Expensive Items

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo has inaugurated the transformation of the new Sarinah Building. The inauguration was carried out in order to reaffirm the importance of Sarinah. He revealed that Sarinah is an icon of the nation's struggle. Moreover, the initiator was the Proclaimer of Indonesian Independence, Soekarno.

Jokowi wants Sarinah as a place for the success of domestic products. Quality local products must be expensive, he thought. However, Jokowi's desire is not in line with what Bung Karno aspired to. What's that?

The Sarinah building has an important meaning in the history of the Indonesian nation. President Jokowi understands that. He even took the time to inaugurate the transformation of the Sarinah Building on Thursday, July 14, 2022. For him, Sarinah is an important icon of the Indonesian nation. Memories related to the splendor of the Sarinah Building have been 'told' from generation to generation. Mainly, Jokowi himself.

The memory of visiting Sarinah around 1973-1974 has become an unforgettable memory. At that time, Jokowi was invited by his grandfather to visit Sarinah. Jokowi is also filled with happiness. The Sarinah Escalator, which was asked to be the first escalator in Indonesia, attracted his attention. He also, like other children, also used the escalator to go up and down.

“Alhamdulillah, today we can witness Sarinah's new face. An important icon of our nation, which glues our memories from generation to generation. I remember well in the 1970s, when my grandfather invited me to come to Sarinah, maybe 1973-1974.”

“At that time there were only escalators in Sarinah, at that time, and I was going up and down, up and down, I remember very well. I'm up and down, up and down, so happy. These are the things that leave memories that impress us all. People from regions come to Jakarta, they will definitely go to Sarinah," said Jokowi as broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat via Youtube.

He realized that Sarinah's inauguration would not be complete without mentioning and thanking the originator of the Proclamation of Independence, Soekarno. According to Jokowi, Soekarno at that time needed the right container to accommodate the trading activities of local goods. Jokowi also tried to continue the dream.

It's a dream to see local children's products compete with world products. Therefore, all kinds of goods that are exhibited or sold in Sarinah must be carefully curated. Expensive prices are okay, as long as high quality. Jokowi also advised not to sell high quality goods at low prices.

“Earlier we saw shoes that were of very good quality, the price was also very expensive. It's okay, the quality is good, the price must be expensive. There are woven products, there are batik products which are also expensive. Yes, it must be expensive.”

“Don't sell things with good curation, such excellent results by hand, sold for cheap. So that we are always proud and we buy, and use more of our own nation's products to win global competition," he added.

It may be that the presence of high-priced local products is expected to win global competition. However, there is actually a fundamental difference between history and the true meaning of the Sarinah Building's presence.

Soekarno never wanted Sarinah to only be a display case for expensive goods. Because, Soekarno built Sarinah to build a people's economy and maintain the stability of the price of goods in the market. He expressed this view when he inaugurated the construction of Sarinah on 23 April 1963.

The convenience store initiated by Bung Besar was deliberately built as a space for commoners, especially women, to be able to buy all kinds of daily necessities. All of this can be seen from Soekarno's actions who dedicated his time to fighting for the common people.

That reason made him give the name of the convenience store Sarinah. A name from Soekarno's caregiver as a child. Soekarno dedicated the name Sarinah because the figure of Sarinah had educated Soekarno in many things. Look at poverty, especially. So it's no secret that Sarinah's name is used as a representation of the common people.

Sarinah was fully 'waqfed' Soekarno as a tool for the nation's struggle. A forum for realizing a socialist society and a just and prosperous society. Once again Sarinah is a tool of socialism.

Sarinah is designed not only to be a storefront for expensive goods, but also to guard price stability. Alias Sarinah is the backbone that is able to control the price of an item on the market.

"And as I said before, such a society is impossible without the distribution of the apparatus, one of the distributions of the apparatus is a department store, and apart from that according to my opinion, according to my belief and according to investigations in all countries that have department stores, a department store is a price stabilizer, prijs stabilizer."

“If we can sell one kebaya material in a department store for Rp. 10, outside people will not dare to sell kebaya material for Rp. 20 per one material. If we in the department store can sell a chest of any tool for Rp. 100, outside people will not dare to sell the item at a price of Rp. 500, or Rp. 1,000. Department stores are price drivers. Therefore, I have ordered that in Jakarta a department store should be established immediately, and in other cities a department store should also be established," explained Soekarno in his mandate at the erection of the first pillar of Sarinah, April 23, 1963.