"The impact of the increase in prices during the upcoming year-end holidays is a challenge that must be responded to by the government immediately," she noted in a written statement issued by the DPR on Tuesday.
Maharani believes that if the price increase is not handled efficiently, it will have a serious impact on people's purchasing power, especially for the lower-middle-income groups.
She cautioned that the imbalance in price hikes can create public concern among members of the public, as it is related to daily living needs.
Several food commodities, including rice, chilies, shallots, garlic, cooking oil, and chicken meat, have experienced an increase in prices.
Maharani encouraged the government to prevent further increases in the prices of staple goods to avoid burdening the public..
One step the government can take is to ensure equal availability and distribution of staple goods in all regions.
"The government, as the regulator of the economy, is expected to take firm steps to control the increase in prices immediately," she remarked.
Furthermore, she emphasized that the government should intensify the implementation of market operations to control the rising prices of staple goods.
In addition, she stated that strict monitoring of prices can address speculation and the stockpiling of staple goods.
"The increase in prices of staple goods not only has an impact on consumption levels but can also create social pressure," she stressed.
She also called on the government to involve the community in preventing stockpiling.
It is crucial for the government to disseminate information to encourage people to participate in monitoring and reporting all forms of fraud that can cause the prices of staple goods to increase, she said.
Regarding the issue of bird's eye chilies, she underlined that regional governments should cooperate to distribute supplies sourced from regions that are in surplus to areas that are in deficit.
In this regard, the central government will help facilitate the distribution.
"There must be intervention from the government to support economic stability and sustainable community welfare. The policies that are implemented should not only provide short-term solutions but also positive impacts in the long term," she remarked.
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Translator: Fauzi, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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