Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's plan to limit public places for

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's plan to limit public places for
smokers deserves support. But the plan needs legal backing to be
implemented, therefore, a provincial level law, which also
contains punishment for violators, must be made.

There are a lot of public areas, including malls and office
buildings that have no-smoking signs, but the signs have no legal
power. Violators are usually only told to put out their
cigarettes without any punishment. And the no-smoking signs mean
nothing to many.

Worse scenes can be seen at public buildings, such as market
places, office buildings and public transport vehicles.
People smoking in public places are usually uneasy if somebody
tells them not to smoke.

Smoking is a very individual right as long as it does not
disturb others. That is why in developed countries, which are
strict on smoking issues, adequate space is made available for
smokers.

According to the World Health Organization, cigarettes kill at
least 3.5 million people annually. Official records indicate that
48 percent of Indonesian men and 7 percent of Indonesian women
are smokers, making the total number of smokers in the country
more than 110 million.

Given those facts, prohibiting people from smoking in public
places would not be easy to implement.

-- Warta Kota, Jakarta

Maintaining the signs
of restored economy

The news holds a lot of promise. Representatives of 30
countries and creditors grouped in the Consultative Group on
Indonesia (CGI) have given signs that their confidence in the
Indonesian economy has been restored. They consider this the
right time to build the momentum to regain confidence in
Indonesia through the implementation of the reform movement.

We are facing the 2004 general election. Regarding this, we
continue to urge the government and opposition parties to compete
with one another in a democratic way. We also call on them to
create a better condition in various aspects.

Let us make use of the constructive signs positively, the
signs given by the CGI that Indonesia's macroeconomy has been
restored.

Let us focus our attention on the control of the reform
movement, including by eliminating and preventing corruption,
bringing corruptors to court, upholding the law and providing
legal certainty. -- Kompas, Kompas