Member of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives Samuel Wattimena, said the National Standardization Agency needs to improve its performance in implementing national standards for micro and small enterprises .
"Of the 64 million MSEs in Indonesia, only around one million have been impacted by the socialization process, and three thousand have implemented the new standards. Therefore, the National Standards Agency (BSN) needs to protect the public from various products in circulation," Samuel said during a working visit to the BSN office in South Tangera.
He highlighted the continued presence of many products, such as children's toys and clothing, without Indonesian National Standard (SNI) certification. He noted that these products have the potential to harm the public if they fail to meet safety standards.
"There are children's toys with dangerous dyes, and the product's shape can also be dangerous. The government should intervene through the National Standardization Agency (BSN) to provide protection," he said.
Samuel also questioned the effectiveness of implementing SNI if it is not accompanied by clear sanctions for business actors who violate it.
"If there's no punishment , then is it important for businesses to obtain certification? This is the question that needs to be answered," he said.
According to him, BSN's limited budget is also a serious issue. In fact, according to reports he received, the agency's equipment budget is only about 30 percent fulfilled.
Therefore, Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives formed a working committee to study the BSN issue more comprehensively.
"We feel the need to hold a working committee to pinpoint the exact location of the problem. From there, the DPR can help inform the government about the steps that need to be taken," he said.
