DPR member: SNI not merely certification but instrument of national sovereignty
Jakarta (ANTARA) - House of Representatives Commission VII member Hendry Munief stated that the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) is not merely an administrative certification but an instrument of national sovereignty.
He assessed that controlling standards is key to winning global competition. A country that masters product standards, he said, can more easily control the market.
“SNI must be driven as an instrument of sovereignty. We cannot merely be users of global standards but must be the determiners,” Hendry said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He also noted that harmonisation policies between SNI and international standards such as ISO and IEC present significant opportunities for Indonesian products to penetrate global markets.
On the other hand, he warned of risks if domestic industries are not ready to compete. According to him, harmonisation without strengthening the industrial sector could increase the influx of imported products into the domestic market.
Therefore, he urged the implementation of protection policies like Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) to safeguard the domestic market from an influx of low-quality products.
Beyond standardisation, he pushed for equitable industrial infrastructure, particularly building testing laboratories outside Java.
Currently, he said, limited facilities mean regional industries still rely on testing in Java, leading to high production costs.
“We have received information that many regions only have small laboratories, not major testing centres capable of serving all industrial sectors. We hope the government will promptly address this issue,” he said.
Therefore, he stated that SNI policies must prioritise national interests, including strengthening the Domestic Component Level (TKDN), building supporting infrastructure, and protecting local industries.
“Standardisation must not be a burden but a tool to strengthen the national industry,” he said.