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Anti-smoking bylaw meets defiance in Surabaya
Surabaya Deputy Mayor Arif Afandi is urging public order officers to be strict and consistent in prosecuting people and institutions breaking the new bylaw against smoking in public places
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urabaya Deputy Mayor Arif Afandi is urging public order officers to be strict and consistent in prosecuting people and institutions breaking the new bylaw against smoking in public places.
"There were still many public places in the city failing to provide smoking rooms and allowing people to smoke freely," he said Tuesday.
"I find there is not yet any significant effects from the implemention of the bylaw," said Arif.
The Surabaya municipal administration put into effect the bylaw on no-smoking areas and limited-smoking areas on Oct. 22, 2008.
Arif also criticized the Surabaya Health Agency for the public's poor response to the bylaw due to a lack of awareness progams.
He said that one year was enough to raise pulic awareness about the bylaw.
Sukistio, 34, a resident of Surabaya, was seen smoking at the Bungurasih bus terminal Tuesday, defying a sign that prohibited people smoking there.
"I know there is a regulation banning people from smoking in public areas. But there is no smoking room here. So I opted to smoke here. I will get dizzy if I don't smoke, as I have controlled myself not to smoke for an hour during my travel here by bus," Sukistio told The Jakarta Post.
He said he supported the enforcement of the bylaw in the city but asked the municipal administration to provide designated smoking areas.
"People here are apathetic about the effectiveness of the bylaw, because the previous bylaw on garbage and cleanliness proved so ineffective," he said.
The Surabaya municipal administration had previously enforced the bylaw on cleanliness and garbage service in 2000, which threatens violators with a three-month jail term and a Rp 5 million fine.
However, to date, many residents still litter with impunity.
For this reason, many people in the city are doubtful that the anti-smoking bylaw will be effective.
The Center for Religion and Community Studies (CeRCS) recorded that 90 percent of the 18 municipal administration's buildings in the city were not yet equipped with smoking rooms. Meanwhile, only three out of 11 big malls in the city have set up smoking rooms.
Under the new bylaw, building owners can be jailed for three months or fined up to Rp 50 million for not providing smoking rooms.
"The administration has to be strict and consistent in imposing the bylaw both on smokers and on building owners," Surabaya Legislative Council member Adies Kadir said.
East Java's Consumer Protection Foundation chairman Said Sutomo said the bylaw's implementation had failed to recieve a warm response as many public officers broke the bylaw themselves.
