Government urged to delay Consumer Protection Law<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Business associations urged the government on
\nFriday to delay the implementation of the Consumer Protection
\nLaw, saying that most industries were not yet well prepared
\nenough for it.<\/p>\n
Executive director of the Association of Indonesian Retailers
\n(APRINDO) Kustarjono Prodjolalito said it would take about three
\nyears for the business community and consumers alike to prepare
\nthemselves for the implementation of the law.<\/p>\n
"Three years is about the minimum time for everybody to really
\nunderstand their rights and obligations," Kustarjono said.<\/p>\n
The government plans to implement Consumer Protection Law
\nNo.8\/1999 by next month, one year after it was enacted by
\nlegislators.<\/p>\n
Kustarjono said the retail industry would need more time to
\ndiscuss the bill with producers to be able to implement the law
\neffectively.<\/p>\n
For instance, he said, producers were responsible for the
\nquality of their products sold by retailers, while retailers'
\nresponsibility was not to display expired products.<\/p>\n
Kustarjono added the government should further familiarize
\nthe law to consumers to avoid misperceptions that could lead to
\nunnecessary suits.<\/p>\n
Regulations to support the law were also lacking, Kustarjono
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said for example the law should be supported with a
\nregulation obliging producers to insure their products or
\nservices so that consumers could get compensation for their
\nlosses. However, thus far such a regulation was nonexistent.<\/p>\n
The new law would guarantee consumers' rights to obtain
\nsecurity and comfort when using or consuming products and
\nservices, and honest information from the producers.<\/p>\n
Violating the law could cause producers or traders to face a
\nmaximum fine of Rp 2 billion (US$ 270,270) and prison terms of up
\nto five years.<\/p>\n
The law would ban the printing on store receipts of the
\nstatement: "Purchased good cannot be returned", as well as
\nmisleading ads promoting products or services.<\/p>\n
Thomas Darmawan, director of the Indonesian Food and Beverage
\nAssociation, said implementing the law would be especially
\ndifficult for small-scale food vendors as the law required them
\nto attach labels to their products.<\/p>\n
"You can't expect them to attach detailed labels on each item
\nthey sell on the streets," Thomas said.<\/p>\n
He said small business were financially not prepared to comply
\nwith the law.<\/p>\n
Thomas estimated two years would be enough to raise the
\npublic's awareness of the law.<\/p>\n
He said he planned to establish a Consumer Protection Law
\nForum whose objective was to discuss the law and provide
\nsuggestions to the government on ways to best implement it.<\/p>\n
The forum, he said, would consist of members of the business
\ncommunity, nongovernment organizations as well as government
\nofficials.<\/p>\n
Advisor to the domestic trade compartment of the Indonesian
\nChamber of Industry and Trade, Hidayat, said delaying the
\nimplementation of the law was reasonable as the Indonesian
\nbusiness community was still struggling to recover from the
\neconomic crisis.<\/p>\n
He said the country's business community was already so busy
\nmaking preparations for the implementation of the Antimonopoly
\nLaw, that it would be too burdensome for them to also prepare
\nthemselves for the implementation of the Consumer Protection Law.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he doubted that the government would delay the
\nimplementation of the bill.<\/p>\n
According to him, implementing the bill would make the
\ngovernment and legislators appear to be protecting the interests
\nof consumers.(bkm)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-urged-to-delay-consumer-protection-law-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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