Consumers remain unprotected, YLKI says
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.