Buwas Calls The Rice Mafia No Need To Be Punished By Criminal, Why?

President Director of Perum Bulog Budi Waseso. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - President Director of Perum Bulog, Budi Waseso, said that the rice mafia does not need to be punished criminally.

The reason is, the arrest of unscrupulous persons or the rice mafia does not completely solve the problem.

"It's useless to be arrested, detained, but don't solve the problem. In fact, maybe (the problem) developed," Buwas said at a press conference at the Bulog office, Jakarta, Thursday, February 2.

Buwas, Budi Waseso's nickname, said that the action taken by the rice mafia by the Food Task Force could be carried out persuasively. He said, the most important thing was that they understood the rules of legal commerce that apply in Indonesia.

Action is usually persuasive. The important thing is that people understand and don't repeat their actions," he explained.

Buwas said, these rice mafia people always appear in certain situations that can be a gap to make profits. Like when there is a PPKM rice assistance program due to the COVID-19 pandemic to the underprivileged.

The social assistance (social assistance) rice is also controlled by the mafias, it is proven that there is a game but related to the big mafia. Finally it was hit and has been punished," he said.

The news of the existence of the rice mafia has resurfaced when rice prices have not decreased even though market operations and imported rice have entered Indonesia since the end of last year.

Buwas admitted that he had provided rice mafia data to the Food Task Force. He said the Food Task Force also went to the field to oversee the rice market operations carried out by Bulog.

"I have submitted the data. He (Food Task Force) also took part in the field to supervise. Including supervising rice market operations, including those that we send to markets and retail," he said.