Jakarta, IO – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said, based on his observation and data, many countries depend on Indonesia.
“As soon as we stop our coal (export) for just two weeks, I received a lot of call from heads of state and government. Many countries are dependent on Indonesia. I’m also surprised,” Jokowi said at the Kompas100 CEO Forum 2022 at the State Palace, Antara reported on Friday (2/12).
Other than coal, Jokowi said there are also many countries that depend on Indonesian CPO. When Indonesia briefly banned CPO export, many were questioning, including the IMF and the World Bank, he said.
“Why did we stop (exporting)? Because I have to put my people first. I can’t give it to you while we ourselves experience shortage. I can’t, I’ll definitely stop it. Many say it’s wrong. It’s fine with me. People are entitled to have their own opinion. But I will always prioritize the people,” said Jokowi.
Because of the policy, Jokowi said the cooking oil price has been stable. He said in the two traditional markets he recently visited, cooking oil is still sold at Rp14,000 and even lower.