The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Commission for Children's Protection, in collaboration with journalist-cum-investigator Mardiyah Chamim, has unveiled evidence that giant cigarette firms target teenagers and children.
Mardiyah, a journalist with Tempo, conducted an examination of internal documents from the U.S. cigarette industry relating to Indonesia's tobacco sector between 1970 and 1990.
The documents have been accessible on the internet since 1999 when a U.S. court ordered cigarette firms, including American Tobacco and Phillip Morris, to open their files to the public.
""The cigarette industry in Indonesia is always quick to deny it is targeting youth or to deny being under the umbrella of foreign firms, yet it shows the same pattern of strategies in marketing and advertising as those of international firms,"" Mardiyah said here Wednesday.
The director of corporate communications at PT H.M. Sampoerna Tbk., Niken Rachmad, told The Jakarta Post: ""In the last 10 years, all international tobacco companies have changed their policy to not focus on juveniles as their consumers.""
Since 2005, Phillip Morris International, owner of the Marlboro brand, has owned 98 percent of Sampoerna, which owns the A Mild brand.
The child protection commission's secretary general, Arist Merdeka Sirait, cited a 2001 national health survey that reported 1,172 cigarette-related deaths every day, or 427,948 deaths each year, throughout the country.
According to the chairperson of the Tobacco Control Working Group at the Indonesian Public Health Association, Widyastuti Soerojo, in most of the deaths the people were above the age of 35. It takes 15 to 20 years from early intake to see the symptoms of tobacco-related diseases, he said.
""Cigarette promotions and ads are the gateway for children to become beginner smokers,"" he said. ""Messages that show images of easy going, rebellious confident smokers that are close to juvenile life can be seen in ads for most music concerts, movie screenings and sports activities. We need a total ban on the advertising of this addictive drug in public places.""
However, Niken maintained that the tobacco industry only targets young adults above the age of 18. ""For example university students, who can decide for themselves.""
A 2003 government regulation allows cigarette ads, promotions and sponsorships to appear in the media as long as they are broadcast between 9:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. and do not showcase images of the product.
According to Arist, the regulation is weak and in opposition to Article 59 of the 2002 Law on Child Protection, which states: ""The government is obliged to protect children from addictive substances.""
""Through this article, the government should carry out efforts to prevent children from becoming smokers,"" Arist said.
Niken acknowledged that ""stricter and more comprehensive"" tobacco-related regulations were required to provide cigarette firms with ""a clear yardstick for operations"".
""We are not allergic to regulations, you know. As stakeholders, the industrial players want to be involved in the making of the draft (law) on the control and effect of tobacco products,"" she said.
The final draft, which has been signed by 220 House of Representatives legislators, has not been regarded urgent enough for the 2007 national legislative program.
""The House's reasoning that the law is harmful to employment has become a cliche. We do not intend to put the industry to death. We just want better protection for society's health,"" Widyastuti said.
He highlighted three means by which the harmful effects of tobacco can be combated: policy advocacy, public campaigning and community involvement.
In 2001, British American Tobacco, Phillip Morris and Japan Tobacco agreed to cease mass cigarette advertising, not to use celebrities in their ads and to stop encouraging young people to smoke. ""That agreement is not acted upon in Indonesia,"" Mardiyah said.
However, Niken said: ""Our operation is based on the national regulation, which at the moment does not forbid that. That agreement was made before Sampoerna was purchased by Phillip Morris."" (07)
