TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In response to the statement by President Jokowi regarding foreign products, Chairperson of Muhammadiyah, Anwar Abbas, reminded the public that there are products that Indonesia is yet able to produce.

Therefore, he said, the country still depends on products made overseas. For example, the engine manufacturers that are critical for aircraft carriers operating domestically.

“I think that all of the airplanes that we fly on are foreign products,” said the deputy of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in a written statement on Friday, March 5. “Our lives would be more challenging if we hated that.”

However, Abbas understands the actual message the President tried to convey but worries that the choice of words might be received differently by others, such as Indonesia’s trade partners. He is afraid they would respond with a similar attitude.

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi also responded to Jokowi's statement. He called for people to not take an issue with the statement and took the blame on why the president said that.

“I would like to encourage the media not to blow this up. I am the one to blame because I presented my report to the President moments before the meeting began,” said the Trade Minister in a video conference.

He referred to the 2021 Trade Ministry national meeting on Thursday where the President called for the anti-foreign products campaign.

Read: Trade Minister Reveals Why Jokowi Calls for Hate against Foreign Products

CAESAR AKBAR