Retailers Association Pledges to Heed Alcohol Ban
16 April 2015 13:24 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Indonesian Retailers Association (Aprindo) has said it would abide by the government’s new ban on the sales of alcoholic drinks at minimarkets, despite insisting on the removal of the regulation.
“I can guarantee that retailers will comply with the law, but perhaps this regulation will not be 100 percent effective,” Aprindo executive head Tutum Rahanta told Tempo on Thursday, April 16, 2015.
The Trade Ministry has barred the circulation of alcoholic drinks with alcohol content ranging from one to five percent at minimarkets through the Trade Ministry Regulation No. 06/M-DAG/PER/1/2015. The regulation takes effect as of Thursday.
Tutum said the association had disseminated information on the regulation to its members in the past few days. “There are pros and cons, but we and the government are partners, so [the regulation] should be heeded,” he said.
Tutum, however, said the association would be more appreciative of the regulation if it was crafted based on local cultures, given that several regions in the country had been known to their closeness to alcoholic drinks as part of their cultures.
Tutum also asked the government to evaluate the effectiveness of this regulation in reducing alcohol consumption among the underage.
ROBBY IRFANY