It is not a big issue or a high-profile scandal such as the Bank Century brouhaha or the tax scandal, which has hit the country.

It is just an issue on the obligation for motorcyclists to wear headgear, which is acknowledged by the Standar Nasional Indonesia (SNI) ruling, or Indonesian standards.

Starting April 1, 2010, all riders on the roads are obliged to wear helmets made in Indonesia, which bear SNI characters.

The helmet issue this time is much different from the official requirement (from the police) that those who ride motorcycles, including the pillion riders, must wear headgear for safety reasons.

It was Hoegeng Imam Santoso, then National Police chief, who introduced and promoted the use of safety helmets for motorists in Indonesia in the early 1990s. Considered controversial, the request became a hot issue, with many dubbing it as a big joke hard to meet.

Many motorists, mostly women, complained about their hair becoming messy during with a helmet on. They preferred maintaining their hairdo to protect their head in case of an accident.

Slowly but surely, using a helmet when riding became popular from time to time, thanks to the increasing awareness of safety during motorcycle rides.

The focus on helmet use has changed in line with the rapid increase in the number of motorcycles, which has been out of hand. This has built an incorrect understanding among the people that any helmet is safe for use.

Inferior quality helmets have been on the markets, and worse, any object looking like helmets, representing head protectors have been popular among motorcycle riders.

The number of inferior helmets has gradually been on the rise, while, on the other hand, the government acknowledges that fatal traffic accidents have been rampant, with most victims being motorcyclists. Inferior or low-quality helmets are then believed contribute to the rising number of the fatal road accidents.

This is the beginning of the SNI-standardized helmet story.

It is somewhat questionable that inferior helmets alone can be blamed on fatal accidents, ignoring the fact that almost all motorists in Indonesia behave irregularly on the streets, risking their safety and others.

The government (the Industry Ministry) then established in 2007 the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) for helmets in a bid to help protect motorists from fatal accidents.

A female official representing the ministry on a private TV talk show on April 7 confirmed that beginning April 1, 2010 all motorcycle riders had no other choice but to wear SNI-approved helmets when riding as of April 1 this year, given the fact the SNI helmet is compulsory, and that the SNI helmet was, in terms of quality, produced equally with those with international standards.

This move has apparently made riders with non-SNI-stamped helmets upset, as officers involved in wearing SNI helmet campaigns, told them to change their old helmets.

According to the Industry Ministry, the ruling is also meant for riders wearing international standard helmets such as - for example - Shoei, AGV or Nolan products, which are popular among international MotoGP riders.

"The helmets made in European countries or the US are suitable for the respective countries, not Indonesia. Geographically, Indonesia is different from those countries," the official explained how imperative the SNI helmet was.

"The SNI helmets have a different construction, designed for Indonesian people's heads."

The official continued, with no single explanation as to what the relation was between geographical matters and SNI helmets. She also failed to reveal the difference in construction between helmets for Indonesians and those for Europeans or Americans.

Responding to motorists' complaint about the waste of money in buying a new SNI helmet, the ministry said the price of the SNI helmets was affordable. The lowest costs less than Rp 100,000 (US$10) each.

The official also argued that the SNI helmet, produced locally, needed to be promoted for the sake of national pride, ahead of the global trade.

Yes, it is obvious that there have been strong reasons, other than safety, behind the production and marketing of the SNI helmets.

Business could be behind the policy. Some suspect that the ministry has been persistent in having SNI helmets produced and marketed here for business.

Putting orders on certain companies to produce such helmets could have financial benefits to certain individuals given that the country is well known for its corrupt officials. Forcing the sell and use of local helmets is questionable.

Helmets other than SNI helmets are not recommended, and thus are subject to punishment. This is a nonsense policy.

Another important fact is that in Indonesia the more expensive a product is, the better quality the product will be. The claim that the SNI helmets priced at Rp 100,000 were of the same quality with those priced higher than Rp 100,000 is a big blunder.

People may wonder, why doesn't the government prefer to address the rampant traffic violation, which involves motorcycles, to having SNI-standardized helmets produced and forcefully marketed? This may indicate the government's failure in dealing with day-to-day chaotic and uncivilized traffic - and start seeking fall guys.

The writer is a journalist.

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