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coalition of some communities rejected the gubernatorial decree on smoking-free zones, which will be implemented soon, saying that the decree was a result of global pharmaceutical corporation intervention.

“There are many other [urban problems] that haven’t been resolved by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, such as traffic jams and flood mitigation, so it is strange that the city is making the smoking-ban a priority,” the coalition leader, Suroso, said Friday.

The coalition consists of the Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association, the kretek (clove cigarette) community, Indonesian Jamu community, alliance of Batik Lovers and Srikandi Indonesia.

Suroso said that to quit smoking, people needed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). “Pharmaceutical factories produce drugs needed for the therapy. With big number of smokers, Indonesia is the good market for pharmaceutical companies,” he said.

The 2010 Gubernatorial Decree No. 88 on smoking-free zones was issued in May this year, revised a regulation issued in 2005. The new regulation rules out smoking rooms and completely prohibits smoking in all buildings.

The coalition accused several institutions including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation and Swisscontact Indonesia of having received Rp 3.5 billion (US$392,000) in total from Michael R. Bloomberg through Bloomberg Initiative, which Suroso said was a tool to distribute the global pharmaceutical corporation’s money.

Dollaris Riauaty Suhadi from Swisscontact Indonesia told The Jakarta Post that her office received foreign funding. “We support the decree because it has an agenda to improve the Jakarta residents’ health, there is no hidden agenda behind it.”

YLKI chairman Sudaryatmo also told the Post that there was no hidden agenda behind any foreign funding received by his foundation. “Our main concern is public health and we are not prohibiting people from smoking, but they should respect non-smokers’ right to take care of their health,” Sudaryatmo said. (not)