Destruction of smuggled sugar

H.M. Rienaldo Thamrin has written that the plan of Trade Minister Rini Soewandi to destroy smuggled sugar shows the absence of a sense of crisis and the influence of the old paradigm of sectoral arrogance, which takes no account of the interests of the nation (Tempo, April 18).

I agree that the smuggled sugar should not be destroyed because the smugglers have imported it using state foreign exchange funds, which are not easy to come by.

The worry that smuggled sugar will enter the market in Indonesia and therefore cause domestically produced sugar to decline in price, is quite understandable. It is indeed quite a problem here. If you distribute the smuggled sugar to the poor, who do not usually buy sugar, they may be happy but may also sell it so that they can buy rice or instant noodles.

Ultimately, of course, the smuggled sugar will also enter the market.

I suggest, therefore, that the sugar should be sold to industrial companies that usually use imported molasses as a raw material.

I have approached some MSG manufacturers to ask them whether they are ready to buy the sugar but they have rejected the offer on the grounds that such sugar is something that is forbidden under Islamic law. This means that if it were used to produce something, whatever was produced would also be forbidden under Islamic law. I guess smuggled sugar may have to be sold to alcoholic drinks manufacturers in the end as their products are considered forbidden under Islamic law.

My conclusion is that the smuggled sugar need not be destroyed.

SUNARTO PRAWIROSUJANTO, Jakarta