Indonesia urged to ratify international tobacco convention

Desy Nurhayati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Bangkok   |  Thu, 04/03/2008 1:38 AM  |  Headlines

Indonesia has not done enough in tobacco control, despite its active participation in negotiations and support for many of the tobacco control measures now contained in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), observers say.

Mary Assunta, the policy development adviser with the South East Asian Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), said Wednesday Indonesia was lagging behind its neighbors in implementing tobacco control, being the only country in the region that has not ratified the global treaty on tobacco control.

"Indonesia is missing out and losing out on cooperation with others despite the attendance and active engagement of the country's delegation at every session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), expressing their support for many of the provisions now contained in the FCTC," Assunta said on the sidelines of SEATCA workshop on tobacco tax policy here.

From the very earliest negotiations in 2000, Indonesia had contributed to the development of strong tobacco control measures now embodied in the treaty.

She hailed Indonesia's standpoint on each of the highlighted issues in the treaty, including advertising, promotion and sponsorship, packaging and labeling, taxation, illicit trade, smoking in public places and cigarette sales to children.

"On advertising, promotion and sponsorship, Indonesia expressed its support for an obligation 'to prohibit tobacco advertising, marketing, promotion, and sponsorship targeted at children and adolescents, and regulate or prohibit those targeted at others', and argued that the prohibition on tobacco advertising 'should be total and, indeed, global.'"

Indonesia recommended "the adoption of appropriate, cost-effective measures, including health warnings on each unit package" and saw no "significant obstacle" to implementing provisions on packaging and labeling to ensure cigarette packages carry warnings and statements.

Concerning smoking in public places, Indonesia supported a provision on "protection of the public from passive smoking", and would provide for "systematic protection from exposure to tobacco smoke" in areas including "educational institutions, public places and public transportation".

Indonesia has also supported the increase in price and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco, which is similar to Article 6 of the FCTC, and further suggested the inclusion of an additional subparagraph recommending "the allocation of part of the revenue from tobacco taxes to tobacco control programs".

On tobacco sales for children, Indonesia stated it had no objections to the concept of prohibiting the purchase and sale of tobacco products by people under the age of 18 and supported a provision that "each party shall, to the extent possible, prohibit tobacco sales and supply to and by persons under the age of 18".

Assunta, however, expressed disappointment with Indonesia's decision to allow foreign investment in the tobacco industry.

"Indonesia has been made a dumping ground by giant tobacco manufacturers, such as Philip Morris, which feel free to expand their business in the country because of its weak regulations," Assunta said.

WHO data show 34.4 percent of Indonesia's adult population smoke, with 63 percent of the smokers men. Among youths, the prevalence of smoking reached 26.8 percent.

A researcher with the University of California, in the United States, Teh-wei Hu, said the tobacco industry had a strong influence over the Indonesian government, including in policy drafting.

"It's very political, so it's not merely an economic problem," he said.

Like Indonesia, the United States has not ratified the FCTC, to protect its tobacco manufacturers.

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