BALINEWSID.COM, JAKARTA – The Forum Masyarakat Pemantau Negara (Formapera) has called on President Prabowo Subianto to remove Trade Minister Budi Santoso from office following his statement that Minyakita cooking oil is no longer part of the government’s food assistance program.

Formapera Chairman Teuku Yudhistira described the minister’s remarks as inconsistent with the government’s commitment to protecting low-income households and warned they could undermine public confidence in the administration.

Speaking in Jakarta on Friday (July 3, 2026), Yudhistira said the statement contradicted the original purpose of Minyakita, which was introduced by the Ministry of Trade to stabilize cooking oil prices and ensure affordable supplies for the public.

“This is not only a betrayal of the people, but also an act of defiance against the government and a contradiction of President Prabowo Subianto’s Asta Cita agenda, which is intended to serve the public,” Yudhistira said.

According to him, Minyakita was launched in July 2022 as a market intervention measure following a sharp increase in cooking oil prices. The program was designed to ensure that low- and middle-income households could continue purchasing quality cooking oil at an affordable price, with the government also setting the product’s highest retail price.

Yudhistira argued that Minyakita concerns a basic necessity for millions of Indonesians and questioned why the Trade Minister had made what he described as a controversial policy statement.

“Minyakita was created to help control soaring cooking oil prices. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why the minister would suddenly make a statement that we consider highly controversial. It risks creating public anxiety and confusion,” he said.

He added that the issue comes at a time when many Indonesians are already facing economic pressure due to rising fuel prices and increasing costs of basic commodities.

For that reason, Formapera urged President Prabowo to take immediate action by reshuffling the Cabinet and replacing the Trade Minister.

“This concerns public trust in the government. While people are struggling with rising living costs, the Minyakita issue could further increase social unrest. The President should dismiss or reshuffle Trade Minister Budi Santoso,” Yudhistira said.

Earlier, Trade Minister Budi Santoso announced that Minyakita would no longer be allocated for the government’s food assistance program. Instead, all supplies would be distributed through traditional markets to improve public access.

“There will no longer be Minyakita for food assistance. All supplies will be distributed to traditional markets so people can more easily obtain Minyakita,” Budi said on June 8, 2026.

The Ministry of Trade said it continues to coordinate with producers, Perum Bulog, and ID Food to ensure smooth distribution of Minyakita nationwide.

Budi also emphasized that Minyakita is not a subsidized cooking oil product. Instead, it is supplied under Indonesia’s Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) scheme, which requires producers to allocate part of their production for domestic consumption.

The minister further stated that future government food assistance programs would be more flexible, allowing commodities to be selected based on market conditions. If an oversupply causes the price of a commodity to fall significantly, the government may consider including that commodity in future food assistance packages.