House commission works on GMO rules

House commission works on GMO rules

JAKARTA (JP): Insisting it is taking an impartial stance on
transgenic products, or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO),
House of Representatives Commission VIII for environmental,
science and technology affairs is working on a draft law to
regulate the controversial products.

"We are neither accepting or rejecting such products. But we
think that we have to take precautions over the safety of the
products.

"That's why a regulation is needed to handle the matter,
especially with the implementation of regional autonomy next
year," commission chairman Irwan Prayitno said during a break in
a public discussion about transgenic products at the commission's
hearing room.

The only existing regulation which touches on the issue, he
said, was a 1999 joint ministerial decree issued by the ministers
of agriculture, forestry, food and horticulture, and health. This
decree is concerned with the safety of foods and natural
products.

"But the decree is only valid internally for the four
ministries. Therefore, it must be reviewed," Irwan, a legislator
from the Justice Party (PK), said.

The issue of GMO products continues to spark debate among the
public.

GMO are biologically engineered products in which genes are
inserted from one species into another to produce a new product
which has desired and beneficial characteristics.

A researcher from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Antonius
Suwanto, said the debate was understandable, but stressed that
Indonesia already trailed other countries in biotechnology
issues.

"Thailand has anticipated biotechnology developments by
establishing the National Center for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology. Singapore and Malaysia are discussing the
technology to detect and determine the criteria of transgenic
products," Antonius said during the discussion.

The government must determine such issues as biosafety,
labeling, the examination system and regulations, prices, laws
and the infrastructure to deal with these products, he said.

Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko of the National Consortium for Nature and
Forest Conservation said scientists tended to promote only the
good side of transgenic products.

"It's similar to the United States, whose Department of
Agriculture only allocated 1 percent of its total biotechnology
research budget, or around US$1 million to US$2 million, to
research the negative impacts of the products," he said during
the discussion. (hdn)