91 Percent of Consumers Claim They Are Never Involved in Policy Discussions

The majority of tobacco product consumers claim they have never been involved in the discussion of policies that directly impact them. This finding emerges amid the drafting of a Minister of Health Regulation concerning Health Warnings and Information on Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes, which includes plans to implement plain packaging. A survey conducted by Pakta Konsumen involving 1,760 respondents showed that 91% of cigarette consumers stated they had never been invited to discuss or asked for their opinions during the formulation of tobacco product regulations. Furthermore, 78.6% of respondents felt their rights as consumers had not been fulfilled. Pakta Konsumen Chairman Ary Fatanen assessed that this condition indicates consumers are still positioned as policy objects, despite numbering around 69 million people, or nearly a third of Indonesia’s population. “We want the voices and aspirations of cigarette consumers to be heard by the government. All this time, consumers have contributed significantly to state revenue, but feel they have no space to voice their opinions on policies that directly impact them,” he said. According to Ary, the government needs to consider the wider impact before implementing plain packaging policies. He worries that plain packaging will make it harder for consumers to distinguish between legal and illegal products. Instead of reducing the number of smokers, an increase in the consumption of illegal products would be more dangerous for health. “Consumers cannot tell whether the product they are buying is legal or illegal, so they just choose the cheapest one. This is potentially dangerous for consumers because the product composition is unclear,” he stated. A similar view was expressed by Legal Expert from Universitas Sebelas Maret, Ayub Torry Satrio Kusumo. He stated that public participation is a fundamental principle in the formation of legislation. He stressed that the public should not merely be passive objects of policy, especially when the regulation directly impacts the social and economic lives of the people. “The government must pay attention to the social, economic, and cultural aspects of society. Regulation is indeed necessary, but it must not ignore the groups directly affected,” he added. Ayub also reminded that Law Number 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection guarantees the public’s right to obtain correct, clear, and honest information regarding the products they consume. Therefore, the government needs to ensure that the plain packaging policy does not diminish consumers’ rights to recognise the products they use. Rejection of plain cigarette packaging continues to emerge from various community groups. In Temanggung, hundreds of tobacco farmers even held a joint prayer as part of the Khoul Ki Ageng Makukuhan tradition and the Kirab Pikukuh Syuro as a form of aspiration for the government to review the derivative rules of Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024 on Health. Wonosari Village Head, who is also the General Chairman of the Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association (APTI), Agus Parmuji, said the farmers’ biggest concern currently is the potential decline in the absorption of tobacco products if the government persists in implementing several restrictive policies outlined in the derivative rules of PP 28/2024. “The result will certainly have a social impact on farmers and workers. When standardised cigarette packaging is enforced, it will effectively kill the right to production creativity. It will also certainly further slow down the absorption of harvests,” he said. Agus assessed that this condition will directly impact the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods because the tobacco products industry has been the main absorber of harvests. Reduced demand from the industry not only affects farmers’ income but also has the potential to disrupt the tobacco economic chain involving farm labourers, processing business operators, and supporting sectors. The national tobacco sector is being pressured by various regulations, such as standardised packaging rules (plain packaging), nicotine and tar limits, and bans on additives that will halt the production process. Besides farmers, all these rules will also threaten the jobs of workers in this labour-intensive sector. Unsurprisingly, strong rejection also comes from labour groups. The Chairman of the Regional Leadership of the Federation of Cigarette, Tobacco, Food and Beverage Workers’ Unions–SPSI for the Special Region of Yogyakarta (PD FSP RTMM-SPSI DIY), Waljid Budi Lestarianto, assessed that plain packaging has the potential to threaten the livelihoods of millions of workers who depend on the tobacco products industry. He argued that the policy not only impacts cigarette companies but could also suppress the livelihoods of hand-rollers, factory workers, tobacco and clove farmers, and other supporting businesses that are part of the tobacco industry chain. He believes that if the policy weakens the legal tobacco industry, companies may implement efficiency measures leading to workforce reductions, particularly in the labour-intensive hand-rolled kretek cigarette (SKT) sector. Therefore, Waljid stressed that the formulation of the draft ministerial regulation should not only consider health aspects but also calculate the impact on job protection and the sustainability of income sources for millions of workers and their families who depend on the tobacco products industry. The majority of the tobacco sector workforce has a limited educational profile, making mitigation for this labour-intensive sector crucial to find solutions before the rules are enacted. “We firmly reject the plan to implement standardised packaging that will be regulated in the draft ministerial regulation,” he asserted.