IHTIKAR FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF POSITIVE LAW AND ISLAMIC ECONOMIC ETHICS (Case Study of Scarcity of Nine Basic Ingredients in Tulungagung Regency)

Abstract

Background of this research was by the occurrence of scarcity of nine basic commodities both at the national level in Indonesia and especially in Tulungagung Regency. The scarcity of nine basic commodities that had occurred previously was caused by several factors, including adverse weather conditions, hoarding practices, crop failures, and others.

The problem formulas addressed in this research included: (1) how were the efforts made by the Tulungagung Regency government to prevent scarcity of the nine basic commodities in Tulungagung Regency?, (2) How were the acts of hoarding in the distribution of the nine basic commodities in Tulungagung Regency from the perspective of positive law and Islamic economic ethics?. The research adopted a qualitative descriptive approach, and data collection techniques employed include observation, interviews, and documentation.

The results of this research could be summarized as follows: Firstly, the local government of Tulungagung Regency, as part of its responsibility, had made several efforts to prevent scarcity of the nine basic commodities in the region through authorized agencies such as The Tulungagung Food Security Agency and The Tulungagung Industry and Trade Agency. These efforts included the establishment of the Tulungagung regional food security team, strengthening of The Community Food Distribution Institution and The Development of Community Food Business Institutions, and organizing The Cheap Food Movement conducted nine times in a year. Secondly, the act of storing the nine basic commodities by traders in Tulungagung Regency was not merely hoarding, but rather a way for the traders to anticipate price increases and availability of food products nearing national religious holidays in order to serve consumers on those days.