Expo urges public to buy Indonesian goods
Expo urges public to buy Indonesian goods
Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In silence, yet full of excitement, Herwantoko walked around
the main exhibition hall, his face a picture of awe and
appreciation.
"I doubt that many Indonesians fully understand the
significance of this "Buy Indonesian" drive. More campaigning is
therefore needed to spread the idea," Herwantoko said.
The 16-year-old senior high school student was referring to
the displays that he had just seen at one of the six halls in the
Indonesian Product Expo (PPI), currently being held at
Kemayoran's Jakarta Fairground.
Most visitors said that of the 30,778-square-meter display
area of PPI, the most impressive spot was the main hall, because
this is where the "soul" of the event could be found.
Arman, a 58-year-old man who lives in Kebayoran, South
Jakarta, said, "This main hall is what the expo is all about, and
seeing what Indonesian people are already capable of making
really amazes me," he said.
The campaign, urging Indonesians to buy and use more home-
grown products rather than imports, is aimed at helping the
nation's economy get back on its feet by supporting domestic
industries and saving valuable foreign exchange.
Judging by the reaction of some visitors to the exhibition,
the government appears to be scoring a considerable success in
convincing Indonesians that products made in Indonesia need not
be inferior to imported goods.
On display in the main hall are some of the best Indonesian
product innovations, ranging from a crewless airplane to a sack
for storing fertilizer more effectively.
Visitors were also impressed by interactive displays that
showed an online taxation system and an information system that
combined the country's trade and geographic data, etc.
"With so many surprising, great achievements, it would be such
a waste if only a few Indonesians were aware of their existence,"
Arman said.
He added that the expo was highly recommended for families and
would serve well as an excellent source of recreation and
education.
Taking the theme of National Awakening Day, which fell on May
20, the 10-day trade expo aims to promote the use of Indonesian
products in an effort to revitalize local industries and increase
their products' global competitiveness, officials from the
ministry of industry and trade said.
The expo, which will last until May 29, displays a wide range
of products from the country's industries, but seems to be
dominated by electronic goods, automotive spare parts, industrial
machinery, handicraft, etc.
"However, I don't think my parents would be interested in the
products displayed at the exhibition. We might be interested to
buy more Indonesian consumer goods, but maybe not this heavy
equipment," Herwantoko said.