Dozens of students from Udayana University marched from their campus building to the Bali Legislative Council building on Friday afternoon to lodge a protest against the planned World Tobacco Asia (WTA) conference to be held in Jakarta from Sept. 19 through Sept 21. The students submitted a letter of protest signed by influential public health institutions and organizations in Bali, including the Public Health Experts Association (IAKMI), Bali Child Protection Agency, Bali Legal Aid Council, the Association of Medical Faculties Alumni in Bali, university student councils and others.
Kadek Dwi Putra, coordinator of the Udayana University’s Students Movement for Anti-Tobacco Awareness, said that by Indonesia hosting a world-scale tobacco conference, it could mean the country endorsed the tobacco industry’s aggressive marketing programs. “Indonesia is currently considered a flourishing market by the tobacco industry with its rapid growth of young smokers aged even as young as between 5 and 9 years old,” Putra said. Participants at the Friday rally were clad in their blue university jackets carrying huge banners stating the dangers of tobacco consumption on the future of Indonesia’s young people.
Karyasa Adnyana, deputy chairman of Commission IV of the Bali Legislative Council, said when receiving the student delegation that the Council would immediately channel their aspirations and would contact the conference organizer. Last year, the legislative council ratified bylaw No. 10/2011 on smoke-free zones, previously set to come into effect on June 1, 2012, but Governor Made Mangku Pastika delayed the enforcement of the bylaw as the administration needed more time to familiarize the public with its contents.
Previously, the administration had promised to enact the bylaw in stages. In the first stage of implementation, the prohibition would be enacted in government offices, schools and healthcare facilities. The bylaw would then soon include hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, nightclubs and places of worship. The smoke-free zones bylaw states that many public places are to be smoke free. This also includes playgrounds, traditional and modern markets, terminals, airports and public transportation. Advertising and sales of tobacco products have also been banned in these places, except for those regulated by a specific governor regulation. Violations of the bylaw can be punished by up to three months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rp 50,000 (US$5.20). “The bylaw has not been effective.
We have still found ashtrays and cigarettes in offices and public buildings, including in the offices of the legislative council,” Putra said. I Made Kertana, a lecturer in the public health department of the school of medicine at Udayana University, stated that his department had conducted a survey last year showing the tourist industry’s strong support for the no-smoking bylaw. “Many hotels agree that the enforcement of no-smoking zones will create a healthy and clean environment, which in turn will maintain the tourists’ health,” Kertana said. The survey also revealed teen smoking habits in Denpasar.
Targeting 194 teen respondents, the survey showed that 34 percent of smoking teenagers were 13 to 22 years old. Around 60 percent of young smokers were junior high school students. Around 69 percent of young smokers came from families that smoke. Around 48 percent had started smoking just to taste their first cigarette, while 26 percent of young smokers said they were afraid of being called “chicken” if they did not smoke. Meanwhile, data from the National Child Protection Commission (KPAI) estimated that there were 230,000 children under 10 years old in Indonesia who were already active smokers. “The tobacco industry has overpowered our nation,” said Arist Merdeka Sirait, KPAI chairman.
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