IndoNEWSian.com – Azhar Kahfi, Secretary of the Gerindra Faction in Surabaya’s House of Representatives, warned that the GoTo-Grab merger could lead to market monopolization that sidelines small businesses and hurts consumers.
Capital Domination Threatens Competition
He stressed that combining these tech giants could create an unhealthy capitalist ecosystem, giving excessive control to a few major players.
Data Security and Promo Scheme Imbalance Under Scrutiny
SME Data Vulnerable to Foreign Interests. Kahfi raised concerns about local SME partner data potentially falling into foreign hands due to GoTo’s large data access.
Inequality in Consumer Promotion Mechanisms
He highlighted the promotional strategy gap — GoTo funds promos internally, while Grab places the cost on drivers, which could cause post-merger disparity among partners.
Government Urged to Monitor the Tech Merger Closely
Prevent Digital Exploitation and Market Imbalance. Kahfi emphasized the importance of government intervention to protect small entrepreneurs from being exploited in a monopolized market.
Anti-Monopoly Regulation Needed
“The government must ensure fair competition and safeguard the interests of small business players,” he concluded. (@)
