Indonesia Shuns Tobacco Treaty, May Become Asia's Ashtray

by Richel Dursin

(IPS) JAKARTA -- Campaigners against smoking are pressuring the Indonesian government to embrace an anti-tobacco international treaty and warn that if it fails to do so the country could fast become the "ashtray of Asia."

"It is a matter of urgency for the Indonesian government to accede to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)," Mary Assunta, chairperson of the Framework Convention Alliance -- an umbrella group of over 200 anti-smoking organizations from across the world, told IPS.

Indonesia, the world's fifth largest consumer of tobacco after China, United States, Japan and Russia, is the only country in Asia that failed to sign the World Health Organization-sponsored treaty that became a binding law on Feb. 27.

Signed by 168 countries and ratified by 61 nations, the FCTC is the first legal initiative that attempts to control the use of tobacco on a global scale.

The treaty requires participating states to outlaw tobacco advertising and sponsorship, to demand that tobacco companies cover at least 30 percent of every cigarette pack with health warnings, to ban the use of euphemistic adjectives like "light" or "mild" to describe cigarettes, and to increase tobacco taxes to an optimum level, making the retail price of tobacco high and not affordable

The FCTC also stipulates the banning of smoking in all public places. In Indonesia, only the Jakarta administration has enacted a city ordinance banning smoking in public places. The ordinance will only come into force early 2006. In other parts of the country, smoking is a norm.

"If Indonesia does not accede to the FCTC, we will take legal action against the government," warned Tulus Abadi, coordinator of the Indonesian Consumers Organization.

"Indonesia's failure to adopt the FCTC is a violation of human rights and the country's constitution," Abadi said in an interview.

The Indonesian Consumers Organization has given the government until May 4 to meet its demand to accede to the international treaty.

Anti-smoking campaigners argued that the Indonesian government will be "left out" and will not be able to participate in the meeting of parties in Geneva next February if it still refuses to comply with the FCTC.

"The Indonesian government will not be able to tap into a global fund from the FCTC (to combat smoking)," said Abadi. Last year, former Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi was about to sign the treaty, but was prevented from doing so by high-ranking authorities.

"Obviously, the government gave in to the pressure from tobacco companies, which argued that it is not necessary to sign and ratify the FCTC," Abadi revealed.

Herman Soetardja, head of drug abuse prevention division of the Office of the Vice President, however, said Indonesia did not sign the FCTC because of the country's political situation.

"At that time, we were busy with the legislative and presidential elections," he said.

To date, five ministries -- Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Finance -- continue to oppose the adoption of the FCTC, as they claim the treaty would harm the country's tobacco industry, which is a major employer.

Tobacco excise charges contribute greatly to the state's coffers and last year alone about 30 trillon rupiah (3.3 billion U.S. dollars) was raked in by the government.

"The government only thinks of money it can get from tobacco companies. It does not think of the health of its people," Indah Suksmaningsih, chairperson of the Indonesian Consumers Organization told IPS. "The government should consider that its citizens have the right to clean air."

As part of their efforts to persuade the Indonesian government to agree to the FCTC, anti- smoking campaigners have sought the help of political figures and religious leaders.

One of the messages being conveyed to political figures is supporting the FCTC will "increase their popularity."

The recent acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Indonesia's second largest cigarette producer, PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna by U.S.-based tobacco giant PT Philip Morris for two billion U.S. dollars, has given anti-smoking lobbyists all the more reason to increase their pressure on the government to adopt the FCTC

According to these activists, the weak enforcement of laws in Indonesia is the major reason why Philip Morris chose to invest in Indonesia. "Philip Morris was not stupid when it decided to invest in Indonesia because here it can do what it cannot do in other parts of the world," Suksmaningsih said.

"Using the Sampoerna name, Philip Morris can operate and market its products virtually without restrictions on advertisements, nicotine and tar content," she added.

Soetardja of the Office of the Vice President, however, pointed out that Indonesia is "happy" but at the same time "worried" over the decision of Philip Morris to invest here.

"There is a clear indication that transnational companies will go to a country where the enforcement of (smoking) laws is practically nil," Soetardja said.

As it appears now, Indonesia is moving backwards while its neighbors, particularly Thailand and Singapore, are moving forward in the implementation of tough anti-smoking provisions.

"Smoking makes the poor people in Indonesia poorer," said Anhari Achadi, advisor to the Minister of Health on health services for vulnerable communities.

"The country's poor people waste their money on cigarettes instead of buying food," Achadi said in an interview.

Results of a study conducted by the National Institute of Health Research and Development showed that in 2001 the amount spent monthly by an individual smoker in Indonesia amounted to 166,500 rupiah (18 U.S. dollars) -- an equivalent to wages for 25 days of work based on the regional minimum wage in Jakarta.

Last year, around 215 billion cigarettes worth 8.5 billion U.S. dollars were sold in the country. There are about 141 million smokers in Indonesia, with analysts predicting that the number of smokers in the country is likely to increase by at least five percent this year.

"To reduce severe health and economic impact of tobacco use, the government should implement the cost-effective policies on national tobacco control as suggested by the FCTC," said Achadi.