Kadin Welcomes Swift Response to Postpone Import of 105,000 Pickup Trucks from India for Kopdes Merah Putih Operations
Jakarta, VIVA – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad has called on the government to postpone plans to import 105,000 pickup trucks from India for the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative (Kopdes) programme. The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has welcomed the swift response.
Kadin Deputy Chairman for Industry Saleh Husin said the stance was in line with the aspirations of industry players and served to protect the national automotive sector.
“Kadin highly appreciates Dasco, and we salute his swift response. Imagine if the 105,000 vehicles used by the Kopdes Merah Putih programme were imported products — what would happen with after-sales service? Such a policy could turn imported vehicles into scrap after a number of years due to spare parts difficulties,” Saleh said in Jakarta on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.
Dasco had previously stated that he had conveyed a message to the government requesting a postponement of the plan to import 105,000 vehicles from India. The postponement was requested because President Prabowo Subianto was still on an overseas working visit and would discuss the plan in detail upon his return.
According to Saleh, Kadin had also coordinated with automotive and components industry players domestically, who hoped the vehicle import plan could be halted, particularly if the Indian manufacturer lacked a long-term commitment to Indonesia.
“We have already coordinated with automotive industry players, including the components sector. They are appealing to the President to halt the ongoing import of vehicles from India,” Saleh said.
He added that foreign manufacturers should ideally establish production facilities in Indonesia, as a number of global brands have already done. Kadin considers this step important to maintain a level playing field, strengthen the industrial ecosystem, and ensure that economic benefits are felt domestically.
Kadin also assessed that importing vehicles in completely built-up (CBU) form has the potential to weaken the national automotive industry, fail to stimulate the domestic economy, and run counter to the government’s industrialisation agenda. Saleh emphasised that all policies, including those by state-owned enterprises, should be aligned with President Prabowo’s directive stressing the importance of downstreaming and industrialisation to increase added value, expand employment, and boost exports.