TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Govt urges Indonesians to transform shopping habits
Change Size
The atmosphere at Pasar Tanah Abang, Southeast Asia’s biggest retail market, is always full of customers, especially ahead of religious holidays. (Kompas.com/Roderick Adrian Mozes)
A
long with economic transformation, the government wants Indonesian consumers to change their habits and become smart consumers to strengthen the competitiveness of local products.
Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said the government was focused on transforming the consumer-based economy into an investment and production-based economy.
"To improve the quality of local products, Indonesian consumers should be aware of product classes,” Thomas said during the National Consumer Day ceremony in Jakarta on Tuesday
The domestic consumption sector still controls 55 percent of the Indonesian economy, Thomas said. He hopes consumers will change their way of thinking, not only in how they buy products and services, but also in how they pay attention to the quality, safety and social value of the products and services consumed.
"It is time we take advantage of digital information to educate consumers and accelerate the dissemination of information," he asserted.
According to the Trade Ministry, last year the value of the Indonesian consumer empowerment index (IKK) was 34.17 out of a maximum 100.
"Users in Indonesia are vulnerable to exploitation," Thomas said.
Thomas said that Indonesia’s consumer complaint index was also low.
The small number of consumer complaints is due to a lack of knowledge of existing consumer protections, Thomas said. (dan)
