House Commission V Denies Supporting Closure of Modern Retail Chains
The chairman of House of Representatives (DPR) Commission V, Lasarus, has denied that his commission ever expressed support for shutting down the Alfamart and Indomaret modern retail franchise networks across Indonesia.
Lasarus said the claims of such support were tendentious and constituted a hoax.
“I wish to convey, and this can be verified through the recording of the meeting between DPR Commission V and the Minister of Villages and Disadvantaged Regional Development, that there was no statement from us requesting the closure of Alfamart and Indomaret,” Lasarus said in a statement on Monday (23 February).
The statement was made in response to a video from a meeting on 12 November 2025 with Minister of Villages and Disadvantaged Regional Development Yandri Susanto, which had recently resurfaced online.
According to Lasarus, the individual who circulated the video through an Instagram social media post had ulterior motives and was acting irresponsibly.
“Once again, I wish to state that the Instagram post circulating with a photo of DPR Speaker Puan Maharani bearing the caption ‘DPR SUPPORTS VILLAGE MINISTER IN CLOSING ALFAMART-INDOMARET FOR THE SAKE OF VILLAGE COOPERATIVES’ is FAKE NEWS and tendentious,” said the PDI-P politician.
According to Lasarus, at the time he had merely suggested that Alfamart and Indomaret should only operate down to the regency and district level. The proposal was based on complaints from traditional shopkeepers who were unable to compete with the Alfamart and Indomaret franchise networks.
“I put forward the idea that Alfamart and Indomaret should only extend as far as regencies and sub-districts,” Lasarus said.
“The thinking behind this is to allow the supply chain for basic necessities in villages and hamlets to give opportunities to grocery traders in villages and hamlets, as well as Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) or Village Cooperatives. The recorded evidence can be viewed openly on the DPR’s official news portal,” he added.
Meanwhile, in his earlier remarks during the same meeting, Minister Yandri had stated that once the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) were operational, the expansion of minimarket businesses should be halted.
“I fully agree, in this esteemed forum, Mr Chairman, that once the Village Cooperatives are running, Alfamart and Indomaret should indeed stop expanding,” Yandri said during the meeting with DPR Commission V at the DPR Building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, 12 November 2025.