Logistics Businessmen Ready to Sue E-Commerce Import Goods Regulations The Association of E-Commerce Logistics Entrepreneurs (APLE) plans to challenge the government's policy regarding the ban on direct imports (cross border) of products priced less than US$100 (around Rp. 1.5 million) on the digital market. As is known, the plan to limit cross-border imports of products is contained in the revised Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) No. 50/2020 concerning Organizers of Trading Through Electronic Systems (PPMSE).

Chairman of APLE, Sonny Harsono, said that the protest against this policy was based on their concerns that restrictions on direct imports of products in e-commerce would make the logistics sector business suffer. Apart from that, they also view that the regulation plan will actually weaken MSMEs, instead of increasing MSME exports.

This is because the action of restricting direct imports of goods in e-commerce also risks making other countries take the same action against MSME products from Indonesia entering their country. On that basis, the association plans to file a lawsuit against the regulation to the State Administrative Court (PTUN) if their aspirations are not considered by the government.

"Because the WTO [World Trade Organization] will definitely be sued. So the Indonesian government is sued at home, other parties will also be sued abroad," Sonny said in an official statement, quoted Friday (25/8/2023).

Sonny also encouraged the government to make the right policies regarding eradicating predatory pricing practices. According to him, eradicating illegal imports is more appropriate to prevent predatory pricing rather than limiting direct imports (cross border) in e-commerce.

"Supervision of imported goods on platforms has been tightened," said Sonny.

Meanwhile, producer and seller of beauty products on e-commerce platforms, Gita Dwi Ayu, admitted that plans to limit imported products directly in markets would disrupt her business production activities. The reason is that 80 percent of raw materials and production equipment have relied on imports because they are not available domestically.

In fact, he confirmed that the implementation of direct import restrictions in e-commerce would automatically result in layoffs at his company.

"Many business actors will close their businesses if this policy is implemented," said Gita.