A prominent consumer group is pressuring the government to issue stricter regulations to protect children and passive smokers from the negative effects of cigarettes.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) said Monday it would file a class action suit against the government if it failed to formulate stricter tobacco regulations that deal especially with protecting children from cigarettes.
"If the government does nothing to tighten regulations on tobacco by the end of the year, then YLKI will file a class action suit against it. Children, who have been overlooked, need more substantial protection," YLKI coordinator Tulus Abadi told a media conference.
"The government is reluctant to implement a comprehensive regulation. They focus on the economic factors rather than the health factors of tobacco consumption," he said.
He added that cigarette advertising still pervades prime-time local television shows watched by millions of children, making them the target market.
"Cigarette producers want to get them hooked to cigarettes at an early age so they would be more loyal to their brand."
According to 2004 data collected by the foundation, which is also supported by the National Commission on Child Protection, 78 percent of smokers tried their first cigarette before reaching the age of 19. There has also been an increase in children aged between five and nine who try smoking from 0.35 percent in 2001 to 1.65 percent in 2004.
The consumer group is demanding that the government tighten its tobacco-related laws by ratifying the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which was the first international treaty to control tobacco consumption.
The FCTC obliges governments to suppress the promotion of cigarettes, as far as their constitutions permit, and ensure that at least 30 percent of tobacco packaging is allocated for health warnings.
Tulus said the treaty, which has been ratified by big tobacco-producing countries such as India, Brazil and China, provides a win-win solution for stakeholders in terms of not irreparably damaging the social, economic and labor aspects of the tobacco industry.
Deputy chairman of the Indonesian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, Hakim Sorimuda Pohan, said that although Indonesia was late in ratifying the treaty, it could still join through an "accession" procedure as per international law.
"Indonesia has been humiliated by its own history, as it has better laws for animal health protection than for humans'. This country, therefore, needs to have a better tobacco law as soon as possible," Pohan said.
Meanwhile, a recent survey by the Coalition for a Healthy Indonesia found that passive smokers are often marginalized because of their permissiveness toward smokers.
"From our survey of 100 respondents, only 25 percent of smokers said they would put out their cigarettes after being asked by their mates not to smoke nearby," the coalition's program assistant, Iskandar Soesman, said.
He said passive smokers are yet to stand up for their right to clean air.
Source : www.thejakartapost.com
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