DPD RI chairman AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti criticized the plan to procure official clothes for Tangerang City DPRD members using well-known international brands, or branded. According to him, people's feelings will be hurt if the plan is realized.

The Pokja for the Procurement Service Unit (ULP) of the Tangerang City DPRD revealed that there are 4 premium brands that will be used as clothing materials for council members. They are two sets of Louis Vuitton daily service wear (PDH), then Lanificio Di Calvino brand for formal civil wear (PSR), Theodoro for daily civil wear (PSH), and Thomas Crown for full civil wear (PSL).

"I deeply regret the emergence of the plan to procure board members' clothes from premium brands. Moreover, the plan appeared at a time when the community was facing PPKM which was increasingly difficult economically," said LaNyalla.

The senator from East Java said officials should show a sense of crisis in the Covid-19 pandemic situation, including members of the council. Because the pandemic has destroyed the economic and social life of the community. So that the procurement of luxury goods for officials is very inappropriate.

"If the members of the council want to buy branded goods, just use personal money. Do not use the state budget obtained from people's taxes. People's representatives must be more empathetic to the condition of the community during the PPKM period," he said.

LaNyalla said the plan was very ironic. Because, nowadays people are competing to give goodness to the people affected by PPKM.

"Moreover, the country's economy is currently not doing well. Much has been drained for handling the pandemic. The existing budget should be used wisely and prioritized to save the condition of the community," he said.

LaNyalla hopes that the procurement of goods that have been included in the auction process will be evaluated. "It is better if the policy is canceled, or at least postponed. Take advantage of domestic brands. Do not let the President's call to love domestic products just become a slogan," he said.

LaNyalla emphasized that the Tangerang City Government and DPRD's steps in procuring foreign clothing lines also did not show empathy for Small and Medium Industries (IKM) in the Textile and Textile Products (TPT) sector, which were heavily affected by the pandemic.

LaNyalla reminded, many textile industries are now dead. "In the midst of the domestic textile industry is dying because of the difficulty of maintaining its business during the pandemic, this is why officials are even procuring clothing from foreign brands. It is very ironic," he explained.

LaNyalla said the demand for textile products in the domestic or local market experienced a significant decline. This is exacerbated by the increase in raw material prices and difficulties in marketing products due to the pandemic constraint, especially for the export market.

"They have difficulty exporting, so they are diverted to the country. Meanwhile, domestically, it is exacerbated by the ease of entry of imported Chinese and Thai garments, which competitively have lower prices," said LaNyalla.

In essence, the Chairman of the DPD RI AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti criticized the plan to procure official clothes for members of the Tangerang City DPRD using a well-known international brand, or branded amid the decline of Small and Medium Industries in the Textile and Textile Products sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic.