Andre Rosiade Angry That The Ministry Of Trade Doesn't Have The Guts To Dismantle Cooking Oil Cartels: KPPU Is Even More Courageous

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission VI of the DPR, Andre Rosiade, admitted that he was furious with the government's attitude, in this case the Ministry of Trade, which seemed to have no guts in dismantling the mafia and cooking oil cartels. According to him, the Ministry of Trade has actually lost decisively to the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) in this regard.

For your information, the KPPU's investigation team has found one piece of evidence in the law enforcement process related to the sale or distribution of national cooking oil. Furthermore, KPPU is targeting 8 large business actors who are producers, suspected of practicing cooking oil cartels.

"KPPU has already said that there are allegations by 8 cartels, when the Ministry of Trade does not have data? If there is, please open the data! Don't be afraid, this is for the people! KPPU dares to say that there are allegations of 8 cooking oil cartels, they dare to say that even though the budget is only Rp. 90- billion. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade has a budget of Rp. 2.4 trillion," he told reporters, Thursday, March 31.

Therefore, Andre requested that the Ministry of Trade cooperate with the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) and the Indonesian Supreme Audit Agency (BPK RI) to conduct an investigative audit related to this cooking oil problem.

Moreover, said Andre, Indonesia's palm oil production reaches 49 million tons per year and is the largest producer of crude palm oil (CPO) in the world, where cooking oil prices should be much cheaper.

"We are the largest producer of CPO in the world, producing 49 million tons a year, we should be able to control it for the benefit of our people, not losing to the market, that's why I request an investigative audit from the Ministry of Trade with BPKP or BPK RI," he said.

Apart from that, according to Andre, he also proposed that the Ministry of Trade conduct an audit of the cost of production of cooking oil.

"So that we know how much the cost of production is," he added.

Andre assessed that the Ministry of Trade should also audit the investigation of the disappearance of packaged and bulk cooking oil when the DMO and DPO policies were issued. However, after the DMO and DPO policies were revoked and the government applied the price of packaged cooking oil following the market price mechanism, the stock of packaged cooking oil immediately circulated in the field.

"So the third one, I ask for an investigative audit when the DMO and DPO were not found in the field. Because after the meeting (Limited Meeting with the President) was decided on March 17, 2022, one to two days later the stock of cooking oil immediately appeared. and easy to find in the field, but previously it was difficult," he said.

"So those are the three points that I ask for an investigative audit by the Ministry of Trade together with BPKP or BPK. So that this is unraveled," he said.