The move to shift the deliberation of the draft of a government regulation banning the advertising of cigarettes from the Health Ministry to the Coordinating Public Welfare Ministry may widen the leeway for certain parties, including the tobacco industry, to influence the content of the regulation, activists said Wednesday.
"When [those from the Coordinating Public Welfare Ministry] are not fully knowledgeable on the subject, they are easily be influenced by lobbies," Setyo Budiantoro from the Tobacco Control Support Center said in Jakarta.
Tulus Abadi from the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation concurred, saying that the contents of the regulation would be "weak and not be in accordance with global standards" in terms oftobacco regulation due to possible lobbies and negotiations.
One proposed content in the regulation was the total banning of cigarette advertisements.
Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said that the shift was carried out because the process involved multiple ministries.
"The coordinating public welfare ministry is the leader for tackling poverty issues and he coordinates various ministries. One issue for discussion deals with tobacco," she said.
Endang also waved off the notion that the shift occurred because of lobbying from the tobacco industry.
"I don't think that's the reason," Endang said when inquired on the matter.
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