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Fauzi’s Anti-Smoking Efforts Rewarded
Dofa Fasila | May 30, 2011

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Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo was on Sunday awarded a World No Tobacco Day medal by the World Health Organization for his efforts to stamp out smoking in the capital.

At an event at City Hall to mark World No Tobacco Day, which falls on May 31, Khanchit Limpakarjanarat, the WHO’s country representative, cited Fauzi’s issuance of a decree in 2010 that banned smoking in public places and buildings.

He said the decree was only one of the policies in the past five years that the governor had issued to control tobacco use in Jakarta.

“A lot of cities in Indonesia are carrying out campaigns to restrict smoking to certain spaces, but Jakarta is the city that pioneered the movement,” he said.

“We laud this commitment, and as a sign of our appreciation, we award the governor with a World No Tobacco Day medal.”

Limpakarjanarat added that Fauzi’s anti-tobacco policies had been in line with those of the WHO, which has long called for a total ban on smoking in all public areas, including office buildings.

In accepting the medal, Fauzi said it was also a token of appreciation for the individuals and groups who were leading the campaign to make Jakarta a smoke-free city.

“I hope this achievement motivates everyone, particularly the younger generation, to keep up the cause,” the governor said.

Farid Moeloek, chairman of the National Commission on Tobacco Control, said Fauzi deserved recognition for his efforts.

“I think it’s very appropriate because the Jakarta administration has worked particularly hard to control tobacco use and should be held up as an example to the rest of the country,” he said.

But despite the 2010 anti-smoking decree, which outlaws even the presence of smoking rooms inside office buildings, enforcement remains lax.

Indonesia is also the only country in the Asia Pacific that has not signed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which in turn has meant few restrictions on advertising by cigarette companies.