Smoking is not a crime, but...

Smoking is not a crime, but...

A man wrote a letter to a local newspaper complaining about
members of the House of Representatives smoking during an
official hearing he saw on television. The man said that the
meeting room was air-conditioned, meaning that the well-educated
House members demonstrated less etiquette than taxi drivers who
use the smoking room at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Smoking has become a big controversy in this country. While
the government enjoys the taxes imposed on cigarette producers,
who employ a huge number of people, pressure against the
government to respect nonsmokers is increasing.

Smokers claim that they have the right to smoke anywhere they
choose, while those who do not smoke argue that they have the
right to inhale clean air. It is unfair to "force" non-smokers to
inhale secondary smoke.

Such a debate will soon disappear after the city
administration's new regulations take effect.

In defense of non-smokers, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso issued
smoking regulations in June this year, only four months after the
air-pollution bylaw was deliberated by the City Council.

Gubernatorial Decree No. 75 is meant to be an auxiliary
regulation for the implementation of the bylaw, meaning that any
violators are subject to punishment as stipulated in the bylaw.

The move deserves a thumbs-up, despite the fact that Jakarta
has been left behind compared to, for example, Singapore, which
imposed similar regulations many years ago.

While the decree and the bylaw will be effective in February
2006, smokers must be mentally prepared as they will be no longer
free to light up in public buildings. Or else, they will get six
months in jail and/or a fine of Rp 50 million.

It is hard to imagine how the regulations will be implemented
without defiance, resistance or reluctance on the part of the
public. Therefore, the city administration must be smart and
effectively use the current one-year information campaign period.

There are a lot of things the administration can do to seek
public support and awareness to convey the dangers of smoking.

Television would be the most effective means to tell the
people that smoking in public places will land them in jail.

There are only few people who are informed that drivers of
public buses, trains and taxis are expected to be frontliners of
the no-smoking drive. They have the right to ask passengers to
put out their cigarettes. Both the decree and bylaw also
encourage passengers to ask the drivers to put out their
cigarettes while on duty. All this should be properly
communicated to the public.

Building owners, offices (both private and government),
schools, houses of worship and owners of public transportation
vehicles, should also be made aware of the existence of the
gubernatorial decree and the bylaw.

In an effort to promote the antismoking drive, Sutiyoso has
frequently asked officials, employees and guests to refrain from
smoking in the administration's offices. However, many city
officials continue to ignore the requests.

There is no other option for the administration but to be more
consistent about the drive, and public involvement will be
necessary. Non-governmental organizations, hospitals,
universities, schools and parents must all be involved to make
the efforts more directed and effective.

The involvement of schools will be very significant as a
Jakarta-based magazine revealed in its 2004 survey that smoking
was an entry point for drug use among teenagers. According to the
survey all school students who used drugs were smokers.

According to Pelita Ilmu Foundation, around three million
teenagers in the country are smokers, 20 percent of whom are in
junior high school.

The parents' role in the antismoking drive will be essential,
as it is the parents that need to have the awareness of the
dangers of smoking. Often parents cannot afford to send their
children to school or to health centers, but they still find
money for cigarettes. Sadly, parents are also unaware of the
danger of secondary smoke, with fathers holding babies or
toddlers while smoking a common sight.

In short, the smoking ban is timely now that people face
increasing hardships. Spending money on food is much better than
spending money for cigarettes. And as cigarette smoking is a
health hazard, it is imperative that people think twice as
doctor's fees are now very expensive.

As for the smokers, they may claim that smoking is not a crime
deserving of a prison sentence and such a steep fine. However,
they should take into account that forcing others to inhale
secondary smoke is totally inconsiderate.