Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A number of activists grouped under the Indonesian Kretek Community (KKI) staged a rally in Medan, North Sumatra, not to commemorate World Anti-Tobacco Day on Friday, but to express their support for the national tobacco industry.

The activists opposed the commemoration of World Anti-Tobacco Day as they say it would kill the tobacco industry and hurt local farmers.

They staged a theatrical play as they distributed stickers saying: "It is okay to smoke" during the rally at the intersection near the PT Pos Indonesia office on Jl. Balai Kota.

Medan KKI coordinator Chaidir Harahap said Anti-Tobacco Day, which falls every May 31, was part of a ploy by foreign countries to destroy the tobacco industry.

Chaidir added Indonesia was the biggest tobacco producer and home to a considerable number of cigarette industries, so World Anti-Tobacco Day would only destroy the tobacco industry in Indonesia.

Chaidir said they did not see tobacco from a health point of view because it could definitely cause illness, but from an economic view, tobacco had played a significant role in spurring the economy in Indonesia as it contributed a considerable amount of revenue to the state.

"Tobacco and kretek cigarettes are some of the biggest assets of Indonesia because every year, they contribute a significant amount of income to the state. In 2012, cigarette duties earned for state coffers amounted to Rp 68 trillion [US$6.88 billion]," Chaidir told The Jakarta Post.

He said foreign parties were trying to control tobacco use nationally by promoting health concerns linked to smoking, so that the cigarette industry would go bankrupt.

Chaidir cited two major national cigarette industries, namely Sampoerna and Bentoel, which had been taken over by foreign companies and thousands of small-scale cigarette producers who had gone bankrupt.

"Don't let our country become bankrupt just because our natural resources, including tobacco, which have been the nation's biggest assets, are being dominated by foreign parties," said Chaidir.

Meanwhile, Antara news agency reported that in Jember, East Java, a similar rally was also held by the local kretek community. The rally was staged at the traffic roundabout in front of the Jember Regency Legislative Council compound.

The protestors performed the Labako dance to symbolize their opposition to World Anti-Tobacco Day, rally coordinator Arga Brahmantya said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Labako is a dance from Jember depicting the activities of farmers planting, harvesting and processing tobacco. Jember is one of Indonesia's main tobacco producers in addition to Deli Serdang in North Sumatra.

"World Anti-Tobacco Day is a hidden agenda by foreign countries that is detrimental to Indonesian tobacco farmers," said Arga.