Aditya L. Djono – The Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare has demanded three Ministries throw their support behind the long-overdue push for Indonesia to ratify the international tobacco control treaty.
"I believe there is absolutely no reason for these ministries to oppose accession to the treaty because it will not affect the country's finances, other countries have ratified the treaty and it didn't affect their income at all," Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare, Agung Laksono, said on Thursday.
The ministries in question were the Trade Ministry, Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration.
The Ministry of Health, as the driving force behind the tobacco control program, has been attempting to gain support from other ministries for the country to join the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The FCTC was a treaty adopted by the UN World Health Assembly in 2003. It has been ratified by 168 of 192 countries and it is legally binding in 177 countries, accounting for more than 85 percent of the world's population.
The treaty requires signatories to adopt price and awareness measures to reduce tobacco consumption by banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, creating smoke-free work and public spaces, putting prominent health warnings on tobacco packages and combating the illicit trade in tobacco products.
Indonesia is the only country within the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations that has not ratified the convention.
Agung said Indonesia should ratify the treaty before the end of the year. He said the ministries' refusal was groundless because the treaty would not threaten the country's sovereignty nor tobacco farmers' livelihoods.
"On the contrary this treaty is aimed to protect Indonesians from the danger of tobacco, especially among first-time smokers who are mostly teenagers," he said.
Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi has repeatedly stated how Indonesia's refusal to ratify the treaty has made the country a target for criticism.
Last month, during the Organization of Islamic Countries' (OIC) summit of Health Ministers in Jakarta, Nafsiah said she was thoroughly embarrassed as Indonesia is one of only 10 states that have not signed the FCTC, alongside Zimbabwe and Somalia.
Nafsiah criticized Indonesia for repeatedly violating commitments it has made in several international forums.
In 2011, Indonesia voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution recognizing the most prominent non-communicable diseases which are linked to common risk factors, such as tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity.
The meeting, attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also recognized the fundamental conflict of interest between the tobacco industry and public health.
In 2011, a regional WHO meeting issued the "Jakarta Call for Action on Noncommunicable Diseases," in which participants from Southeast Asian countries called on global leaders to ratify the tobacco treaty and scale up a package of interventions which have proven effective, including the reduction of tobacco use.
In 2007, at an OIC Health Minsters' summit in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia stated its willingness to recognize that tobacco poses one of the greatest threats to health. The country joined an effort to call upon OIC member states to introduce stronger tobacco control legislation.
Diplomats have noted Indonesia's eagerness to project itself as a leader in international forums, but say the country's reputation will suffer if, rather than taking action and responsibility on basic agreements, the government is instead seen as merely blowing smoke.
In September, the Indonesian government received heavy criticism after it challenged Australia's decision to implement unbranded cigarette packaging, calling it a blatant act to protect the tobacco industry.
The World Trade Organization said Indonesia had made a formal request for consultations with Australia on the issue.
Indonesia is the fifth country to challenge Australia at the WTO over its pioneering legislation passed in 2011 and implemented last December. The measures require tobacco products to be sold in drab green boxes with a neutral typeface and graphic images of diseased smokers.
"As part of the United Nations, we have been thoroughly embarrassed in various international forums, and we all know tobacco lobbyists are behind this," said Sudibyo Markus, an advisor to the Indonesia Institute for Social Development.
The WHO's most recent FCTC meeting held in New Delhi last July singled out Indonesia's reluctance to accede to the convention.