By: Sari Rahayu )*
The government has once again demonstrated its strong commitment to protecting the interests of the community by acting quickly to uncover fraudulent practices in the distribution of Minyakita. This firm step deserves appreciation, considering that cooking oil is a basic need that is greatly needed, especially ahead of the month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. Through various inspections and strict supervision, the government has succeeded in uncovering a network of rogue producers and distributors who have been proven to reduce the volume of oil in packaging without notifying consumers.
The Minister of Agriculture, Andi Amran Sulaiman, is one of the officials who actively went to the field to ensure that this cooking oil complies with the established standards. The results of the inspection conducted at Pasar Jaya Lenteng Agung found that several producers were selling Minyakita in inappropriate volumes, where it should be 1 liter, but only 750 to 800 milliliters were circulating on the market. This practice is clearly detrimental to the community, and the government is not remaining silent in responding to this violation.
The government’s courage in publishing these findings has received widespread appreciation. Member of Commission VI of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mufti Aimah Nurul Anam, assessed that the government’s openness of information made this case go viral and receive widespread attention. Thus, the public is more vigilant, and fraudsters can no longer operate in secret. He emphasized the importance of more comprehensive handling so that the deterrent effect is truly felt by irresponsible business actors.
Mufti also provided a number of recommendations so that the government’s steps would be more effective. One of them is to immediately withdraw Minyakita that does not comply with the dosage from the market so that the public is not further harmed. In addition, he encouraged the Ministry of Trade to revoke the distribution permits of producers who are proven to have committed fraud, because their actions have harmed public trust in the distribution of cooking oil.
Furthermore, Mufti assessed that the law enforcement aspect must be strengthened. The government is expected to investigate this case thoroughly, including imposing strict sanctions in the form of criminal sanctions or fines for companies that are proven to have violated. Thus, similar incidents can be prevented in the future. He also encouraged a revision of policies related to the production and distribution of Minyakita so that existing regulations are stricter and do not provide loopholes for business actors to commit fraud.
On the other hand, member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives Ajbar Abdul Kadir highlighted the importance of domestic food stability and security. He praised the quick steps taken by Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan who pushed for firm action against cooking oil companies proven to have committed fraud. For him, the government’s firm stance is a real manifestation of the state’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the distribution of basic necessities, especially at important times such as the month of Ramadan.
Ajbar also reminded that this case should be a joint reflection to improve food governance in Indonesia. Rather than blaming each other, he emphasized the need for synergy between the government, business actors, and the community so that the distribution of cooking oil really runs according to the regulations that have been set. The government is expected to continue to investigate who is behind this irregular practice, so that the case of reducing Minyakita’s volume will no longer occur in the future.
Praise for the government’s steps also came from political observer Iwan Setiawan. According to him, the firm action taken by President Prabowo Subianto in handling this case proves that no individual is immune to the law under his leadership. The state has shown its readiness to protect the interests of the people by ensuring that every form of price manipulation and speculation in the food market can be controlled effectively.
Iwan also considered that the direct inspection carried out by the Minister of Agriculture was part of the President’s direct instructions. This step proves the government’s seriousness in overseeing food policies, so that there is no room for speculators or business actors who try to profit in unethical ways. He emphasized that this step is not only a response to the Minyakita case, but also as part of a grand strategy in ensuring national food stability.
The government’s firmness in handling this case can also be seen from the policies taken by the Ministry of Trade. In order to enforce the rules, the government has begun to withdraw all Minyakita products that do not meet standards from the market. In accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 18 of 2024 concerning Packaged Palm Cooking Oil and Governance of People’s Cooking Oil, any violation will be subject to strict sanctions, including revocation of distribution permits and fines for companies proven to have violatedcommit violations.
The withdrawal of non-compliant products is carried out in stages. Violating producers are given two written warnings with a period of seven working days for each warning. If there is no improvement after the grace period, the government will take further action, ranging from temporarily suspending sales, closing storage warehouses, to revoking business licenses.
The steps taken by the government show that the state is not only acting reactively in dealing with the Minyakita problem, but is also trying to create a more transparent and accountable system in managing food distribution. With strict supervision, increasingly tightened regulations, and firm law enforcement, the public can increasingly believe that their basic needs are protected by the state.
)* Public Policy Observer
