YLKI protects consumers' interests

YLKI protects consumers' interests

Text by Rita A. Widiadana and photos by Arief Suhardiman

Have you ever received candy in lieu of change? Or bought expired
goods or medicines in a supermarket? Frustratingly, there is no
one to complain to. Service providers have long taken advantage
of the weak position of consumers in Indonesia. The independent
Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) was set up in l973 with
the single aim of protecting local consumers from negligent
businesses. Gradually, consumers have become more aware of their
rights and interests, forcing the government and businesses to
heed their wants. In conjunction with YLKI's 23rd anniversary
yesterday, The Jakarta Post interviewed its new chairwoman to
learn about her strategies to protect local consumers.

JAKARTA (JP): Be yourself and they will accept your style,
says Suhartini Hadad, popularly known as Tini Hadad.

The newly-elected chairwoman of Indonesia's most vocal
consumer organization is not as flamboyant as her predecessors
Permadi, Erna Witoelar and Zoemrotin, but has the same drive.

There isn't any indication that the soft-spoken, loving mother
will change the Indonesian Consumers Foundation's aggressive
programs. The new chairwoman has pledged to continue YLKI's
commitment to struggle for the rights and interests of local
consumers.

"I will fight in my own way and with the strong support from
my dedicated staff. YLKI will still be on the same track," says
Tini, who started her three-year leadership in January.

She says she has been criticized about her leadership style
but never takes it personally.

"I was criticized by my own staff. They scolded me for being
too soft when arguing with businesspeople and government
officers," she admits, adding that the foundation's democratic
system has worked well for two decades, Tini said.

"This is not a place where people can dream of making money.
It is a matter of commitment to the things we believe in. YLKI
offers nothing but a sense of pride and independence to its
workers and volunteers," Tini explains.

Chance led Tini to join YLKI in l977.

"I just wanted to help Erna (Erna Witoelar) because I was
still a mother of two young children."

After working for a year as a volunteer, she fell in love with
the organization which, she says, offers a "very healthy"
environment. She worked full-time between l978 and l980 as the
foundation's education staff member. In l981, Tini had to leave
the foundation to accompany her husband Ismid Hadad, a former
1966 campus activist and a journalist, to the United States. In
l986, Tini returned to YLKI and became secretary during Erna's
leadership. She was vice-chairwoman to Zoemrotin between l989 and
l995.

"YLKI's staff consists of highly motivated individuals. During
its early period, almost all the staff worked on a voluntary
basis because we didn't have enough money to cover our
activities, let alone pay the staff," she recalls.

Even now, she says, a fresh university graduate who joins the
foundation receives between Rp 150,000 and Rp 200,000 (US$63.82
and $85.10) a month. They could earn between Rp 1 million and Rp
2 million a month at other firms.

It is no wonder that YLKI's headquarters in the Duren Tiga
area of South Jakarta serves as both its office and a home to its
unmarried staff members.

Complaints

Despite the lack of material incentives, YLKI's staff works
hard to identify and solve consumer problems. The foundation
receives and processes an average of 100 complaints a day.

Complaints from local consumers about the poor quality of
goods and services have increased since the 1980s, as people have
come to understand their rights and interests better, Tini says.

The majority of the grievances are about the poor quality of
food products, household appliances and services, including
electricity, telephone, transportation, hospital and banking.

YLKI also conducts research and surveys on issues related to
the public's complaints. Its research has resulted in important
discoveries, such as the use of formalin, the main substance for
preserving dead bodies, in noodles, tofu and meatballs. It also
found that various hazardous synthetic substances, such as methyl
orange, rhodamine B and orange RN, that are usually applied to
color textiles, are added to snacks and beverages aimed at young
consumers.

YLKI's aggressive efforts to protect consumers have frequently
landed it in court. Recently, a real estate company filed a libel
suit against the foundation and demanded Rp 1.5 billion
($650,000) in restitution for allegedly damaging the company's
reputation.

"We never back down from our fight against irresponsible
businesses. They are cheating their consumers. There is no
compromise with these people," warns Tini.

Both government and businesses consider YLKI their opposition
rather than their partner.

"They still have a wrong perception towards our organization,"
Tini says. The foundation's objective is to create a strong
network among the government, businesses and consumer advocacy
groups to help protect consumers' rights.

The government, she says, has the power to write various
consumer protection regulations but does not have the political
will to implement them. Indonesian legislators seem to have
little understanding of consumer issues, and they rarely voice
the aspirations of consumers. A consumer protection bill was
proposed 15 years ago, but it has not yet been processed.

"We are working hard to mobilize all parts of society to
encourage the legislative body to issue a law to protect
consumers," Tini says.

Strategies

Under Tini's leadership, YLKI has set up a number of
strategies to strengthen the organization's internal and external
affairs.

Improving its management system and raising more local
donations is YLKI's first step in tidying up its internal
affairs.

"We need more funds to finance our activities. If we have more
funds we can do a lot more research and surveys and help local
consumer advocacy groups work properly," Tini says.

YLKI's overheads reach Rp 200 million a year, and the
foundation needs another Rp 600 million a year to finance its
activities. It receives Rp 50 million from the government and
another Rp 50 million from individual sponsors.

The rest comes from foreign agencies, including the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ford
Foundation and the Asia Foundation.

Another strategy is to build a strong network with related
agencies, including government offices, business circles,
universities, the mass media, and local and international
consumer advocacy groups.

The foundation is a member of the Netherlands-based
International Organization on Consumers Unions. It has close
liaison with Consumer Interpol, the Consumer Educators Network,
Health Action International, Action for Rational Drugs in Asia,
and the Consumer Information and Documentation Center.

"If we have strong lobbying power we can work together to
achieve our utmost dream of protecting consumers's interests,"
Tini concludes.