Admitting 'Loss' To The Cooking Oil Mafia, Susi Pudjiastuti Suggests The Ministry Of Trade To Be Disbanded

Former Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti. (Instagram @susipudjiastuti115)

JAKARTA - Former Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti responded to the helplessness of the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) against the cooking oil mafia. Susi suggested that the Ministry of Trade should be dissolved.

"My opinion is to just dissolve the Ministry of Trade," wrote Susi via her Twitter account, @susipudjiastuti, Friday, March 18.

Initially, Susi was asked by Twitter netizen @ajinovianto who suggested to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) that the Minister of Trade (Mendag) Muhammad Lutfi be replaced. According to the netizen, the right person to replace Minister of Trade Lutfi is Susi Pudjiastuti.

The netizen's suggestion was based on news containing the Minister of Trade, Lutfi, who admitted that there was indeed a mafia playing in the cooking oil commodity. The Trade Minister also apologized for not being able to control the supply and skyrocketing cooking oil prices.

The rise in cooking oil was caused by the Minister of Trade Lutfi revoking the policy for the highest retail price (HET) for cooking oil. The latest highs retail cooking oil prices took effect on Wednesday 16 March.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that now the price of cooking oil such as simple and premium packaging can adjust to the economic value.

This was done after the government lifted packaged cooking oil subsidies. This was done to make cooking oil easy to find in modern and traditional markets. "For that, the Chief of Police will ensure the availability and smooth supply," said Airlangga, Wednesday, March 16.

However, Airlangga said the government would distribute subsidies for bulk cooking oil so that the price would be Rp. 14,000 per liter. "The government has decided that it will subsidize bulk palm oil at Rp. 14,000 per liter and the subsidy will be based on funds from BPDP-KS," said Airlangga.