Rachmat Gobel: Importing 105,000 Indian Pick-Up Trucks for Merah Putih Village Cooperatives Contradicts National Industry Strengthening Efforts
Jakarta, VIVA – House of Representatives (DPR RI) Commission VI member Rachmat Gobel has emphasised that the national automotive industry already possesses the capability to produce pick-up trucks domestically, in light of plans to import such vehicles for the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives (Kopdes).
According to Gobel, a policy of importing vehicles in large quantities has the potential to run counter to efforts to strengthen national industry and create domestic employment.
“The president’s aides must correctly interpret and implement the President’s vision, namely the Astacita, the Prabowonomics concept, and Sumitronomics. When else can we realise the nationalistic thinking aligned with the constitution as envisioned by President Prabowo Subianto,” Gobel said.
Plans had previously been reported for the procurement of approximately 105,000 commercial vehicles from India to support logistics transportation for the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives (KDMP), with a value reaching Rp24.66 trillion.
Gobel assessed that the import plan potentially contradicts the government’s priority agenda, particularly regarding job creation and strengthening national industrialisation.
“This plan to import cars on a massive scale using state-owned enterprise funds does not support the Astacita at all — it in fact violates the Astacita, as it squanders state funds to finance foreign labour and another country’s industry,” he said.
He affirmed that fiscal policy and the role of state-owned enterprises should serve as instruments to drive domestic industry and absorb the workforce, especially vocational education graduates who are widely employed in the automotive sector.
Gobel also stressed that Indonesia’s automotive industry has developed with an extensive production and service network, as well as continuously increasing local content levels.
Furthermore, he argued that vehicle procurement for village cooperatives should serve as a momentum for the national industry to demonstrate its capacity.
“Vehicle procurement for KDMP should be a momentum for Pindad to prove its capabilities,” he said.
Previously, DPR RI Commission VII Deputy Chairwoman Evita Nursanty had highlighted the importance of using domestic products in vehicle procurement for Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative operations, alongside the Rp24.66 trillion commercial vehicle procurement contract.
She assessed that such a large-scale procurement project must serve as a momentum to strengthen the national automotive industry, rather than merely fulfilling village logistics distribution needs.