REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEKASI -- Ministry of Trade established Consumer Dispute Settlement Agency (BPSK) to face ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The agency will help consumers and business coping with problems.
"We established the agency to protect consumers and prevent losses for business," Director General of Standardization and Consumer Protection at the Ministry of Trade, Widodo, said on Sunday, December 7.
Indonesia will face ASEAN free trade next year, allowing goods from other ASEAN countries to enter Indonesia. Domestic consumers are recommended to be smart in choosing goods, prioritizing quality over cheap price.
"When both consumers and business incur losses, they can inform the case to BPSK. BPSK will help finding solution amicably," he said.
Meanwhile, the ministry will monitor every goods entering Indonesia despite the free trade. Government implement three monitoring stages. The first, conducted by the Ministry of Industry, is monitoring the manufacture. Second, conducted by custom duty, is monitoring ports. Third, conducted by the Ministry of Trade, is monitoring market.