Consumers remain unprotected, YLKI says
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian consumers, particularly those from the ranks of the middle class and the poor, are yet to receive the kind of protection they deserve due to the inadequacy of government policy.
The Indonesian Consumers' Foundation (YLKI) said in its year- end review that such a situation persisted because the government was still not serious about protecting consumer rights.
Most of the public complaints filed with the Foundation consist of gripes about unaffordable increases in the price of fuel, electricity, water, telephone usage, public transportation and staple foods.
"We can understand some of the government's arguments on tariff hikes, but several policies are illogical. We are of the opinion that they have been devised to reduce the government's economic burdens by shifting them to the people's shoulders," YLKI chairwoman Indah Suksmaningsih said on Friday.
She also expressed concern over the lack of benefits accruing to consumers as a consequence of price rises, such as improved services.
YLKI also questioned the government's commitment to the implementation of Law No. 8/1999 on Consumers' Protection in relation to the establishment of two national agencies on consumer protection and dispute settlement.
The consumer watchdog said that businesses, state enterprises and regional administrations continued to ignore the consumer protection law and failed to provide appropriate services, especially to the poor.
"Under the current administration neither President Megawati Soekarnoputri nor her aides has made a commitment or policies about their seriousness to protect consumers' rights. This situation has meant that people have found it difficult to file complaints or demand their rights.
"We sincerely hope that next year Megawati, who is a housewife herself, will fulfill her promise to help YLKI as she once said that the organization would not walk alone," Indah said.
Also on Friday, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) criticized the government's decision to extend the plantation pilot project for hazardous transgenic cotton plants in several provinces throughout Indonesia without preliminary examination of the impact of genetically modified seeds.
PAN, along with YLKI and other non-governmental organizations, has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Agriculture's policy but the district court decided that a thorough analysis was not needed before opening the testing fields for transgenic plants.
The case is now before the State Administrative High Court.
PAN chairman Riza V. Tjahjadi demanded that the government be more transparent on the issue, since cotton plantations would not be beneficial to farmers as the long dry season next year would ruin the expected good harvest.
"Moreover, the textile and textile-related industries are plummeting. Farmers should be provided with information on how many of their products will reach the market and their prices," he said.