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