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.