Dessy Sagita, Jakarta – Anti-tobacco activists have claimed Indonesia is walking away from the fight against nicotine addiction, thanks largely to the current government's reluctance to implement strong policies.
Speaking at a conference in Jakarta on Thursday, Kartono Muhammad, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Public Health Experts' Tobacco Control Support Center (TCSC), said the fight against tobacco was losing momentum in Indonesia.
He said the current cabinet, led by President Joko Widodo, was a bigger opponent to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) than the one that preceded it.
Indonesia is the only country in the Asia-Pacific region that has not ratified the FCTC, which seeks to curb tobacco consumption through advertising restrictions and pictorial warnings on cigarette packs.
Kartono said some ministers in former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's cabinet were willing to show their commitment to tobacco control. Although Yudhoyono's government failed to ratify the convention, they agreed to accede to some points, which were expected to be settled at the beginning of 2015.
But the drive towards greater tobacco control has lost traction under Joko, Kartono said. "In terms of policy, we are definitely experiencing a setback. Honestly, we can't expect much from this government," he said.
Kartono said that if current conditions persisted Indonesia's universal health care program managed by the Social Security Organizing Body (BPJS) would go bankrupt.
"If people keep puffing away [on cigarettes], we will see more people suffer from non-infectious diseases and BPJS will soon run out of money," he said.
Health Minister Nila Moeloek admitted that persuading people to quit smoking or to comply with smoking regulations was a tall order. "Maybe it's time for us to stop persuading and start making stern warnings," Nila said.
The 2014 Global Tobacco Adult Survey again revealed Indonesians to be among the heaviest smokers in the world. The survey, which involved 47 countries, found that two out of every three Indonesian adult males were active smokers.
Furthermore, the survey found that one out of three Indonesian teenagers aged between 13 and 15 smoked regularly. Half were already addicted to nicotine, the survey said.
Tjandra Yoga Aditama, who leads the Ministry of Health's research agency, said that despite the disturbing figures, the situation could still be rectified.
"More than 80 percent of child smokers actually want to quit," Tjandra said, adding he believed commercials played a large role in encouraging underaged children to smoke.
He said half of all Indonesian children were exposed to various forms cigarette advertising, despite restrictions implemented by the government. Indonesia is one of only three countries in the world to still allow cigarette commercials on television.
The government has attempted to counter the high volume of cigarette ads with positive campaigns encouraging youths to avoid smoking, but the effort has not shown satisfying results, Thandra said.
"Advertisements encouraging youths to avoid smoking did not resonate because they were produced by government officials instead of professional advertising agencies," he added.
Kartono said greater tobacco control measures would be futile as long as the government allowed cigarettes to be advertised and sold cheaply. "What we need is a total ban on cigarette ads, not just a restriction. We also must increase cigarette prices and taxes on tobacco," he said.