BANDUNG, unpas.ac.id – Directorate General of Consumer and Trade Order Protection (Ditjen Perlindungan Konsumen dan Tertib Niaga, PKTN) for Ministry of Trading (Kementrian Perdagangan, Kemendag) signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Collaboration Agreement (Perjanjian Kerja Sama, PKS) with Universitas Pasundan, on Thursday, 4 August 2022.
This event is a follow-up program from the previous MoU signing between Kemendag with 43 universities in Indonesia held on the peak commemoration of National Consumer Day, last 28 October 2021.
The collaboration taken aims to strengthen the deployment of information regarding consumer protection in order to build the smart and empowered consumer. Other than that, both parties could do data exchange, education and coordination in the sector of consumer protection.
Director General of PKTN for Kemendag Veri Anggrijono stated that Unpas students and academic civitas are expected to be the government’s frontliner spreading the information about consumer protection massively, both in West Java and district/city.
He said that the Index of Consumer Empowerment (Indeks Keberdayaan Konsumen, IKK) in West Java is already high, but still at the level of ‘capable’. People has just been able to understand their right and obligation, but are not yet critical and empowered.
“With the support of this collaboration, I suggest Unpas students to take part actively in making socialization program on consumer protection. Students are one of the connectors to motivate their surrounding environment to be the smart consumer,” he said.
Veri also emphasized that consumer protection should be massive, cross-sector, continued and consumer-oriented (making consumer as the subject of development and market makers).
“Doing collaborations with various universities, including Unpas, strengthen more on the coordination to enforce the Constitution of Consumer Protection. Therefore, it will support the actualization of empowered consumer and also recover national economic condition,” he explained.
On that occasion, Ditjen PKTN for Kemendag also signed the collaboration agreement with Faculty of Economy and Business (FEB) and Faculty of Law (FH).
Rector of Unpas Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Eddy Jusuf Sp, M.Si., M.Kom., IPU stated that FH focuses more on the study and formulation the regulation of consumer protection; while FEB work on the aspect of consumer service, as well as company’s awareness on consumer.
“Students also get an internship offer from Ditjen PKTN for Kemendag. This is also line with the Program Kompetisi Kampus Merdeka (PKKM) and MBKM program. We highly welcome this program; even more, universities have their own target to implement 8 Main Performance Indicators (Indikator Kinerja Utama, IKU),” he said.
The Rector also added that the rapid economic development, trading liberation, information technology and artificial intelligent in the era of 4.0 makes consumer protection thing to be actualized.
“We [Unpas] are honoured for this [public trust]; to be able to protect and spread the information regarding regulations Kemendag has given to us,” he concluded. (Reta)**
