By Sudaryatmo – Indonesian Consumer Org.(YLKI)

Consumer organizations around the world to join in the Consumer Intenational (CI) there are 250 consumer organizations from 120 countries.headquarter in London. YLKI joined the regional asia pacifif and midle east in Kuala Lumpur.

In Indonesia, there are currently about 300 consumer organizations, there are three consumer organization that is a member of CI ( YLKI Jakarta, LP2K Semarang and LKY Yogya ).

CI has several activities to do in the field of competition issues :

  • Publish the Briefing paper No. 6 September 1996 : Competition in the global market : making it work for consumer ;
  • The consumer guide to competition : practical handbook (2003);
  • Comparative study of consumer benefit arising form competition in the telecomunication market of Banglades, Indonesia, Pakistan and Thailand (2005);
  • Consumer and competition : a consumer welfare analisis of three retail market in 14 EU member state (2005);
  • Consumer International World Congress in Sydney Australia (2007): Enahancing consumer protection via competition policy;

CI as representing the consumer oraganization believes that co-operation betwen competition authority and consumer organization are mutually beneficial. CI work to empower consumer organizationto identify anti competitive behavior and such elimination.

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To be effectife the consumer organization in the fight againt anti competitive behavior, this reguire action to remove the obstacles faced by consumer organization in representing their constituency on competition issue :

  • Ensuring the legislation and regulation refer appropriately to achieving consumer benefit;
  • Establishing formal right for consumer organization to participate in the developing and applying competition policy;
  • Enabling consumer organization to be effective in this role throught training and practical support;
  • Improving the mechanism by which individual and consumer oarganization can seek redress for loss resolving from anti competitive behavior;
  • Supporting program to improve individual consumer awarness and understanding of competition issue;

Next agenda for consumer organization in competition issue :

  • Maintain and improve their technical ability and undersatanding of competition law in general;
  • Develop media strategi to improve consumer awarness of existence and content of competition rule in their day to day implication int the hight street and to encourage competition authority to operate in the consumer interest;
  • Establish constructive formal and informal with the competition authority emphashing the mutual benefit of such cooperation, such as partnership in competiton advocacy and consumer education program;
  • Fasilitate and encourage consumer to exercise informed choiche in the market and assist them to switch to better provider.***
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