National Police Chief's Commitment to Eradicate Illegal Textile Imports Appreciated
The Director of the Indonesian Public Institute (IPI), Karylamo Wibowo, has expressed high appreciation for the firmness of National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is committed to eradicating illegal import practices. This step is considered crucial to saving the national textile industry, which is currently in a state of decline.
Karyono views the active involvement of the National Police (Polri) as a positive signal of the state’s presence in protecting the sustainability of the domestic manufacturing industry. According to him, the pressure on domestic industrial growth has long been influenced by structural factors, namely the leakage of illegal imported goods.
“Illegal imports have long been a structural factor that consistently suppresses the growth of the domestic industry. The involvement of the National Police in addressing illegal imports provides new hope that the state is serious about providing real protection to domestic industries,” Karyono stated on Wednesday (16/09/2026).
While fully supporting the police’s actions, Karyono urged the public to continue monitoring the implementation of law enforcement on the ground. He emphasised that public oversight is crucial to ensure the consistency of the National Police, especially when facing smuggling mafia networks.
“This oversight is to guarantee that the state will consistently handle the issue of illegal imports, particularly when facing smuggling networks that possess significant connections and resources,” Karyono asserted.
Previously, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo reaffirmed his commitment to sweeping away illegal import practices while attending the 53rd anniversary of the Federation of Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers’ Unions (FSP TSK) in Sukabumi Regency, West Java, on Monday (14/09/2026).
During the event, Listyo identified three main threats squeezing the local textile industry: a surge in imports, both legal and illegal, which is a primary factor in the decline of the national textile industry; the alleged existence of textile import mafias, which has triggered tension between the Indonesian Filament Fibre and Yarn Producers Association (APSyFI) and the Ministry of Industry; and the suspicion that import mafias influence import quotas for specific groups, weakening the national industry.
As a solution, the Police Chief ensured that supervision will be tightened comprehensively through a cross-institutional approach. The focus of supervision includes monitoring port entry points, inspecting the completeness of import documents, and monitoring the distribution of goods in domestic markets to ensure fairness for domestic industry players.