Govt should mind tobacco farmers' welfare: Legislator

A lawmaker from the Nation Awakening Party (PKB) urged the government to pay attention to tobacco farmers' welfare despite massive criticism of the tobacco industry.

"We must put all things in proportion. Thus, the government must not abandon the tobacco farmers to gain a higher health standard through anti-tobacco campaigns," Marwan Jafar, the House's PKB faction head, said at a seminar on Monday.

He said the PKB would stand in the middle, supporting the government’s stricter regulations meant to control the number of smokers, but also working to protect the country’s greatest tax contributor from bankruptcy.

PKB sponsored the launch of a book about the attempt to criminalize the tobacco industry.