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Paying the price of tobacco: Indonesian smokers continue their habit with 'tingwe'
The pandemic has turned many avid smokers to a cheaper alternative called tingwe.
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Customers can ask shopkeepers to help them roll a "tingwe" cigarette. (JP/Fanny Kusumawardhani)
Last year, like it was for many others, was a time of financial struggle for Dwi Herlambang.
In June, the journalist was laid off from his job. The 24-year-old was lucky enough to be hired by another company within a few months but with a salary significantly lower than the last one. He had committed to renovating his house prior to the pandemic, and that meant even more bills to pay.
He had to think of every single expense, including one of his basic needs besides food: cigarettes.
Dwi had learned that the government would increase the cigarette excise tax in 2021 by an average of 12.5 percent in order to boost its tobacco excise tax revenue to Rp 173.78 trillion (US$12.15 billion). And he had known it could raise the price of his favorite mild cigarettes.
Despite facing financial issues, Dwi was unable to give up the habit he had begun when he was still in junior high school.
“Smoking cigarettes has become my lifestyle,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Dwi said he needed to smoke, especially when he had to finish long-form stories.
