Two legislators urge agriculture minister to resign

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A House of Representatives (DPR) member representing the Nation`s Awakening Party (PBB) here Tuesday urged the Agriculture Minister to resign from his post because he had failed to create food resilience.

The PKB legislator, Ario Wijarnarko, was the second politician to make the demand after Tjahjo Kumolo, chairman of the Indonesian Democracy Party-Struggle (PDIP) faction in the House.

According to the news section of the House`s Secretariat General, Ario asked the minister to seriously tackle the current soybean scarcity.

He said he was dissappointed about the agriculure ministry because it had failed to protect domestic farmers and was instead supporting the idea of importing the commodity."This is strange, he is suporting the cartels, the importers," he said.

He said if the minister did not make serious efforts to achieve food resilience and was continuing to favor imports, he would take the initiative to launch an interpellation against the minister.

Separately, Tjahjo Kumolo had not only demanded the resignation of the agriculture minister but also of the trade minister.

"The two ministers should resign or be discharged by the president because after more than three years in office what they have managed to achieve is only total failure. If they are not dismissed, then it means the president himself has failed to lead his cabinet and improve its performance which should have favored the small people in accordance with his promises," Tjahjo said.

On the ground, the small people, farmers and fishermen in particular, had been made to bear endless suffering, Tjahjo said.

"The scarcity of kerosene, gas and now the soaring price of soybean, are these realities not proof of the present government`s failure to care for the small people?" he said.