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Editorial: Blowing out smokers
The efforts of anti-smoking campaigners have so far experienced little success despite being armed with the administration-sanctioned smoking ban bylaw five years ago
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he efforts of anti-smoking campaigners have so far experienced little success despite being armed with the administration-sanctioned smoking ban bylaw five years ago. All of their activities seem to be defeated by excessive cigarette advertisements that bombard our eyes and ears. Many smokers continue their habit even in “smoke-free” areas without shame or fear of sanction.
We all know it is not easy to eliminate smoking in “kretek (clove cigarette) country”, where smoking is an addiction for the majority of its population; from children, right through to the elderly.
Therefore, it is understandable Jakarta administration needs more ammunition to counter ceaseless smoking campaigns launched by the tobacco industry and its lobbyists. The new ammunition is the gubernatorial decree issued on May 6, which will completely prohibit smoking inside all air-conditioned buildings.
“The [new] regulation will be effective in all air-conditioned buildings, including restaurants and cafes.
The ruling is very clear. Smoking should be out of buildings,” said Ridwan Panjaitan, head of law enforcement division at the City Environment Management Agency.
The new regulation will replace the old law issued in 2002. Both of them are based on the 2005 City Bylaw on Air Pollution Control. The difference is that the old regulation still allows each building’s management to establish smoking areas inside structure. Under the 2005 bylaw, smoking is prohibited in all public places, including schools, hospitals, railway stations, bus terminals and on public transport.
We strongly support the issuance of the new ruling, considering the health risks smoking presents for not only smokers, but also the people around them. However, no matter how strong the regulation is, it will be useless if the Jakarta administration is not committed to enforce it. Poor law enforcement is blamed for the failure in preventing people from smoking in public places and previous unworkable regulations.
Ridwan said the city will disseminate the regulation to building managements — the most affected party — until June. It is expected to be completely effective the following month. But surely, it is not easy for the city administration to completely enforce the regulation because some building owners and cigarette producers as well as smokers have expressed their opposition.
We understand that each party — particularly smokers, building owners and cigarette producers — have the right to maintain their habits or interests, but we also hope they will also respect the regulation, which is primarily aimed at protecting the interests of non-smokers.
Therefore, we also hope the city administration will no longer hesitate to enforce the regulation. Their five years of failure in enforcing previous smoking bans should have taught them that they must stringently enforce the regulation.
Governor Fauzi Bowo has promised to expel all smokers from the air-conditioned buildings in the city, saying that “expelling from the building is easier than providing them with smoking areas [inside buildings].” But still, we have to wait if the governor really has enough courage to turn his words into real action.
