Jakarta, IO – Secretary General of Gerbang Pronas (The Movement to Awaken National Products), Ahmad Syakirin, believes that many national products can replace products affiliated with Israel and that they actually have much better quality than Israel-linked products.
“Warung Steak and Shake can replace KFC. Sari Roti can replace Kitkat. Le Minerale can replace Aqua and so on. We want our national products to become kings in our own country,” said Syakirin, Sat (18/11).
According to Syakirin, MUI Edict (Fatwa) 83/2023 gives the legitimacy to Muslims in Indonesia to avoid using products affiliated with Israel or products that support the Jewish state’s actions. Therefore, this fatwa must serve as significant momentum for the revival of national products.
“Our motive is not just solidarity for Palestine but also to reduce dependence on foreign products affiliated with Israel,” he explained.
Syakirin also believes that the Gerbang Pronas initiative will snowball and has the potential to discourage consumption of Israeli-affiliated products in Indonesia. Therefore, to be more constructive and productive, this spirit and initiative must be directed at encouraging the growth of globally-competitive national products.
“This is also the first step for Muslims to encourage the sovereignty of national products over foreign products,” he said.
In the same vein, MUI Deputy Secretary General Arif Fahruddin emphasized that the fatwa regarding support for the Palestinian struggle is mandatory for Muslims in Indonesia. Thus, the commitment for Muslims to avoid using products affiliated with Israel is also mandatory.
“This fatwa is mandatory. It must be obeyed. It is important for us to show support for Palestine. Muslims are advised to avoid consuming these (boycotted) products to the greatest extent possible,” he said.
Therefore, there should be no tolerance. All brands affiliated with Israel must be avoided and replaced with locally-produced items.
“I think it’s obvious. Avoid Israeli-affiliated products and switch to good-quality Indonesian-made products. This is our commitment to Palestine and national economic sovereignty. This (fatwa) raises awareness among Muslims to use products made in their own nation,” he explained.
The Indonesian Muslim Consumers Foundation (YKMI) echoed the sentiment. YKMI spokesperson Megel Jekson said the initiative is a sign of the emergence of Muslim consumer awareness to prioritize the use of indigenous products.
“Indonesian Muslim consumers are one of the largest in the world. This initiative is of course a sign of the rising awareness among Muslims to discard products affiliated with Israel and replace them with goods that suit the interests of the people. This is a big capital for presenting quality national products that are beneficial for Indonesian Muslims,” he said.
Megel hopes this initiative can last permanently. By collaborating with all elements of Muslim power, he hopes that it can grow bigger and allow national products to replace products affiliated with Israel.
“I think this is just a matter of commitment and intention. Many of our national products have great quality. In almost all types of products, national products are no less competitive. We have #KopiTuku to replace Starbucks, Hisana to fight McDonalds, Le Minerale to replace Aqua’s market dominance. Indofood dairy products can also replace Nestle. We have a ton of good national products,” he argued.
According to him, Indonesian people also need to be careful in choosing the products they consume, because many people think they are local products but it turns out they are foreign-made ones, only their branding is made to look like local products. For example, Bango soy sauce which is a product of PT Unilever, a company deemed to be siding with Israel. Likewise, Aqua is owned by French company Danone.
Faisal Romdoni, chairman of the Jakarta chapter of Santripreneur Indonesia who is also the deputy secretary of Jakarta branch of Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim (PWNU) believes that now is the right momentum for people to start using domestically made products.
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“Once again, MUI Fatwa brings momentum for Indonesian Muslims to support domestically made products. Products made by our national companies have the capacity to become globally competitive,” he said.
“The public must support the use of national products whose companies are one hundred percent owned by Indonesians. The easiest way to differentiate national and local products is to look at its ownership. With regard to bottled drinking water, Aqua belongs to Danone, a French company, while Le Minerale belongs to Mayora which is clearly a local company. In principle, we must support Indonesian-owned national companies so they can succeed,” he stressed. (des)