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akarta Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama says that the administration is drafting a regulation that will carry harsher penalties for those who ignore the city’s smoking-restriction policy.

One of the new measures is aimed at civil servants who light up in city administration offices or premises. “Civil servants could have their monthly allowance cut if they are caught smoking. If we implement this, it will be a great shock therapy,” Ahok told reporters at City Hall on Tuesday.

Ahok said he had asked for a special team to draft the regulation and consult with the administration secretary. “The team will also look at firmer regulations for other parties like private companies or building and public transportation operators,” he said.

The deputy governor said that he believed a new regulation was needed because the existing regulation was not strong enough. The draft regulation, when enacted, will replace the Gubernatorial Regulation No. 50/2012, and serve as a guideline for all administration officials in implementing the smoking ban more thoroughly.

The current regulation stipulates that all administrative institutions and officials at all levels are obliged to routinely monitor and report on the enforcement of the smoking ban in buildings and public facilities. Under the regulation, offenders could either be jailed for a maximum of six months or pay fine up to Rp 50 million (US$5,189).

Tulus Abadi, tobacco advocacy chief at the Indonesian Consumers Protection Foundation (YLKI), said that despite the criminal penalties, the smoking restriction policy had not been fully enforced. “We still see little observance of the smoking ban by city residents. The city needs to work more on enforcing the ban,” Tulus said.

YLKI data has shown that only around 50 percent of all office buildings and malls and shopping centers complied with the smoking ban, and 98 percent of hotels and restaurant were not in compliance. The data also shows that the ban is upheld thoroughly by only 63 percent of all health facilities, 44 percent of places of worship, 43 percent of educational facilities, 42 percent of administrative offices and 40 percent of private offices.

Further data by Swisscontact Indonesia, consultants to the administration, reveals that of the 50,000 places targeted for a smoking ban, only around 15,000 have upheld the ban.

“The city is moving at a snail’s pace on the ban enforcement. We hope Pak Ahok will encourage more active monitoring in the future,” said Dollaris Riauaty Suhadi, the executive director of Swisscontact.