President Jokowi Inaugurates Indonesia Discount Shopping Day In Today's Memory, August 15, 2019

President Jokowi inaugurated the Indonesian Discount Shopping Day at Senayan City Mall, Jakarta on August 15, 2019. (Twitter/@kemendag)

JAKARTA – Today, three years ago, on August 15, 2019, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Indonesian Discount Shopping Day (HBDI) at Senayan City Mall, Jakarta. Jokowi deliberately attended the inauguration to convey a special message. He wants business actors, especially mall owners, to give more space to local products.

Jokowi does not want to see malls in Indonesia flooded with imported products. All in the name of love for domestic products. The alias of local products should not be empty in shopping centers in the country, as well as the world.

Jokowi was really happy. He saw firsthand the existence of local products that filled the Plaza Senayan window. The pleasure was added to Jokowi's desire to convey a direct message to business actors, especially mall owners.

Moreover, Jokowi's arrival was to attend HBDI. Jokowi said the Indonesian market was huge. This advantage must be used to the fullest. Don't let the Indonesian market just become a showcase for foreign products.

President Jokowi wants more local products to be sold in major shopping centers in Indonesia. (Antara)

He asked the shopping center managers to 'endow' their business land to accommodate many quality local products. The reason is clear. Jokowi wants foreign products to not get a place.

Mall owners don't just look down on local products. Local products should be favored. Local products must be able to fill the strategic spaces of shopping centers that have malls. All of that can be a strategy to support the progress of local products.

“Don't just come here but the space, the outlets are given to foreign brands to attract buyers. The brothers are responsible for that. This is the season, we don't want protection, we are open, our market is open, we don't want protectionism, we don't want it, but this is the season for a trade war, there should be a strategy from the malls to help the government so that imports don't flood, imported goods don't flood Indonesia."

“How come a big market like this is left empty, filled with other people. Please do not do it. So I entrust it, don't let the domestic market be empty so that foreign products should fill it. Be careful with this," said Jokowi as quoted on the Cabinet Secretariat website.

Jokowi is often sad when he goes abroad. He saw for himself how Thai restaurants dominate. While the Indonesian restaurant is nowhere to be seen. The same is true for other local products.

Massive discount advertising to attract buyers at Pasar Baru, Jakarta. (Antara/Ismar Patrizk)

Local products are rarely able to expand overseas. Even if there is, the average is only the Asian market. Meanwhile, other Southeast Asian countries are starting to dominate their products in the storefronts of malls around the world.

“I am sad that sometimes I come to country, country, country, country, there are many Thai restaurants but Indonesian restaurants don't exist. This is building a brand for this country. It should be like Sari Ratu is everywhere. What I know is that in Singapore and in Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia. Anything else sir?"

"Here you know, please arrange this, the second task. Look for malls, strategic places, I don't know what the costs will be with the government, what we're talking about is technical, but it's a big job. So that we bring our products into other countries through these methods so that everything that is small is transported all the way," concluded Jokowi.