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Enforcement of smoking ban remains in the air
Triwik Kurniasari , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA | Tue, 03/17/2009 11:07 AM | City
The bylaws banning smoking in certain areas have yet to be enforced, as the city administration once again puts off plans to impose sanctions on violators.
Governor Fauzi Bowo said Monday the administration was still discussing the implementation of the 2005 bylaws on air control and designated nonsmoking areas with stakeholders, such as antismoking NGOs, building managements, as well as the association of retailers.
He said the Jakarta Environmental Management Board (BPLHD) would target all smokers violating the bylaws and impose sanctions on them.
“We will enact the laws with the prosecutor’s office. We will take appropriate measures and start some kind of operasi yustisi. Hopefully, the raids will start soon after this year’s general elections,” said Fauzi at the City Hall.
Operasi yustisi is the city’s annual random raid to net migrants without ID cards or job credentials overstaying their welcome in Jakarta.
The bylaws stipulate that smoking is prohibited in certain public areas, such as office buildings,
medical centers and on public transportation.
Violations are punishable with a six-month prison sentence or fines up to Rp 50 million (US$4,190).
Although the bylaws were approved a few years ago, their implementation has been deemed unworkable. So far, no smoker has been punished for violating those bylaws.
According to a 2009 Jakarta Residents Forum (FAKTA) survey, about 80 percent of city office buildings violated the bylaws.
To address this issue, the BPLHD staged an 11-day raid across the city in November, arresting 109 people but not applying any of the punishments stated in the bylaws.
Ridwan Panjaitan from the BPLHD previously said the agency would come down hard on building managements in early March. However, the crackdown has not materialized yet.
“It is virtually impossible for us to raid all smokers violating the bylaw across the capital, so we will focus on building managements,” said Ridwan.
He said his office would also target buildings without smoking rooms or nonsmoking signs in nonsmoking areas.
Abdul Ghoni, a councillor of Commission D for development affairs, said:“The bylaws have been issued a long time ago, but as of today, we have yet to see their implementation. It’s like the same old song,”
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Ketti (not verified) — Tue, 03/24/2009 - 5:30pm
It will not be easy to ban the smokers for doing stop their smoking because it really concerns with human rights. Government should be careful to implement the ban law of smoking to the public. It will give any impacts not only to national interests but also to public interests.
Arbiter (not verified) — Sat, 03/21/2009 - 12:49pm
LMAO, Murtadho, that is some funny satire you wrote. Ohh my, haven't chuckled that hard since last time I saw actors in a Sinetron trying to act.
But just in case you are serious; First hand and second hand smoke is a major risk factor for cancer, emphysema, strokes, and heart attacks. Now I am all for people taking responsibility for their own lives, so if you want to burden yourself and your family members of your future ailment with those diseases go right ahead. I'm sure the pain of cancer or a heart attack is just another price your willing to pay for relieving yourself of harsh realities. But second hand smoke is another thing.
It is never acceptable to let other people unwillingly take the burden you give them when second hand smoke is concern. Does that co-worker who never smoke in his/her life wants to spend a lot of their money dealing with a cancer that was not their fault? Does the mother and her children sitting around waiting for a bus deserve a future with the risk of a stroke?
Seriously, banning smoking in most public places is not about making people angry or stressing them out, its about you smokers being responsible to people not like you who don't want to take that risk of getting life threatening diseases. Grow up, be a responsible citizen.
Murtadho (not verified) — Thu, 03/19/2009 - 7:04pm
Smoking according to the smoker like me sometimes can relief any problems that stuck in our mind. Otherwise we feel headache, unfocused and even out-of-control. Smoking that just being smoked when the complicated problems comes simultaneously is no any effect as far as I am concerned. And most of the grass-root people in facing the slump economic condition today also escapes their daily burden are also by smoking. That's the reality at the public life. If the government rush to enact law without considering such a mass psychological effect. I presume that sooner or later there will be any great inconvenience and anger among the grass-root people, and this anger will be stored deep in their heart then eventually will rise in the form of a dangerous riot based on such inconvenience. In another side, logically there is no any prove for them on the dangerous of their health just because of smoking. So be careful to enact law without considering and studying many aspects in the situation like today - This is especially in Indonesia today. Riot that stem from the anger of the grass-root people are more dangerous than the banning itself.
Weird (not verified) — Wed, 03/18/2009 - 9:02am
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“It is virtually impossible for us to raid all smokers violating the bylaw across the capital, so we will focus on building managements,” said Ridwan.
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Technically Mr Ridwan is correct. I would be hard to raid all smokers. But raids are not meant to target all violators - just to get some and send a message to the others.
In this case, I don't see the difficulty with finding violators. Just go anywhere in Jakarta. Anywhere at all will be fine, and you'll find violators.
Come on Mr Ridwan, do something good for the city. Head out and start implementing this. The city officials must have put in large hours to get the legislation through, but without a little more effort to start fining people, it'll all be useless.
Jamie (not verified) — Tue, 03/17/2009 - 1:02pm
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He said his office would also target buildings without smoking rooms or nonsmoking signs in nonsmoking areas.
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Are you kidding me? Even if you put non smoking signs you will see the occasional idiot lighting up and not respecting the non smokers around him. I was eating out at Mall Ambassador one day at the food court, top level and said cool I could seat here and enjoy my food its a non smoking area. WOW, was I wrong, did not take to long some people start lighting up cigarettes and infested me with their smoke. I got a little irritated about it & complain to security at the mall, he did not really made a big effort to approach the man but after me complaining he decided to approach him & the man did put out is cigarette.
When will some Indonesian people respect others, some of you really need to take a course in life skills.