•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

By now it is indisputable that smoking is a killer. Yet the government has only halfheartedly taken measures to restrict smoking in public areas and to ban cigarette advertising. It is not only a question of weak regulations but of weak implementation.

Even more shocking is that every year, more women, children, young people and the poor become introduced and then consequently addicted to cigarettes. Every year we condemn the future generation to certain death through our inaction.

The Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted by the World Health Organization from 2006 to 2009 found that 88.4 percent of Indonesian girls were exposed to cigarette ads on billboards and more than 87 percent of them were exposed to secondhand smoke in public places.

Is it any wonder that tobacco firms are among the biggest advertisers in the country? Advertising for clove cigarettes is among the top five, with PT Gudang Garam the third-biggest buyer of television commercial slots, with total spending of Rp 73 billion ($7.9 million).

Indonesia is one of only three countries that still allow cigarette advertisements and ranks third after China and India as the countries with the highest number of smokers. With what we know about smoking’s dangers, this is unforgivable.

The spike in growth of new smokers in Indonesia cannot be separated from the country’s weak regulations and abysmal law enforcement on tobacco use. The government has shown no political will to take on the powerful tobacco industry despite a growing public outcry.

To date, Indonesia has yet to ratify the United Nations Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, an international treaty introduced in February 2005. The framework’s 152 ratifying nations have to implement effective methods to reduce tobacco use.

If no action is taken to curb smoking, the problem will worsen in the coming years. More and more people will become aware of the harmful effects of the habit, and it is only a matter of time before this grows into a national issue.

Politicians who remain silent and refuse to take a strong stand on smoking will find themselves voted out come election time. The voters will not remain silent on this, just as there has been a growing outcry over other major political issues such as the environment, health care and poverty.

It is time for the government to act against the tobacco industry. It is high time cigarette advertisements were banned throughout the country and antismoking laws strictly enforced. We can no longer afford to condemn our youth and women to the hazards of smoking.

Women and children are the new targets of the tobacco industry. They are the most vulnerable members of society and they deserve to be protected by the government.