The Indonesian Minister of Trade Emphasizes The Importance of Consumer Protection

Minister of Trade Mr. Zulkifli Hasan bestowed Consumer Protection Awards on 6 provinces in Indonesia. This appreciation is given to local governments that have supported consumer protection efforts in their respective regions. The awarding took place today on Wednesday (31/8) in Samarinda City, East Kalimantan.

Also attending the event were the Governor of East Kalimantan, Mr. Isran Noor and the Mayor of Samarinda, Mr. Andi Harun. At this event, Mr. Zulkifli Hasan was accompanied by the Inspector General of the Ministry of Trade, Mr. Didid Noordiatmoko, the Director General of Consumer Protection and Trade Compliance Mr. Veri Anggrijono, Acting Director General of Domestic Trade Syailendra, and Senior Advisor to Minister of Trade on Management and Governance Mr. Frida Adiati.

"A deep appreciation to all local governments who have supported consumer protection activities in their regions.  Commitment from local governments, business actors, and the community is important to maintain a standard in consumer protection, and also to serve as an example for other regions to organize similar activities in the field," said Mr. Zulkifli.

The Consumer Protection Award was given to the Governors of 6 selected provinces, namely East Kalimantan, West Java, West Nusa Tenggara, Bali, North Sumatra, and West Kalimantan. Beside the Consumer Protection Awards, The Ministry of Trade also awarded 6 Traditional Market’s that met the requirements of the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) for Traditional Markets, which are located in Samarinda City, Padang City, Semarang City, Malang City, Mataram City, and Karawang Regency; 17 Measurement Compliant Cities/Regencies; and 4 Cities/Regencies that represent 337 Measurement Compliant Market.

Mr. Zulkifli also mentioned how consumers are spearheading the development of the national and local economy. “The contribution of public consumption provides added value and a significant contribution to the growth of Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) both nationally and locally.  For this reason, the consumer community needs to continue to be cared for, developed, and protected in order to become a driver of economic growth in the trade sector," said Mr. Zulkifli.

One of the targets of the Ministry of Trade to improve the performance of domestic trade is the realization of empowered consumers and responsible business actors. This effort is a mandate from Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection, Law Number 2 of 1981 concerning Legal Metrology, and Law Number 7 of 2014 concerning Trade.

To date, there are 76 Measurement Compliant Cities/Regencies, 2,219 Measurement Compliant Markets, 60 people's markets that meets the SNI for People's Markets. The increasing number of local governments receiving awards in the field of consumer protection shows a strong commitment from the government, both central and local governments, in providing protection to the consumer in the midst of national economic recovery efforts.

Consumer Protection Activities that has been carried out by the regional government is one of the efforts that can accelerate the growth of the local economy in their respective regions and of course the national economy, by increasing and regenerating trust in transactions and providing protection against the circulation of goods and services that are not in accordance with the regulations.

To ensure the continuity of the implementation of consumer protection in the regions, Mr. Zulkifli advised local governments to oversee the formation and operationalization of the Consumer Dispute Settlement Body (BPSK) in the regions to facilitate the handling of consumer complaints, and also to organizing consumer empowerment activities through the Metrology Literacy Community Movement (3M) to increase public understanding in the field of legal metrology.

"This movement is expected to change people's behavior so that they are more concerned with sizes, measurements, and scales, especially in trade transactions, as well as the establishment of People's Market that meets the SNI and Measurement Compliant Markets to grow the competitiveness of the people's market in the midst of competition with modern markets," said Mr. Zulkifli.

Director General of Consumer Protection and Trade Compliance, Mr. Veri Anggrijono, added that the Consumer Empowerment Index in 2021 was at the “Capable” Level (Index 50.39). This means that Indonesian consumers are able to exercise their rights and obligations to make the best choices and use domestic products, but have not fully enforced their rights as consumers.  It is expected that in the future, this index will continue to increase to a "Critical" level and eventually become "Empowered".