Governor Fauzi Bowo pledged to make Jakarta a smoke-free city by taking more initiatives, including reducing the space allocated for cigarette ads across the capital.
“We can’t have an outright ban on cigarette ads, but we can and will certainly reduce the number of the ads put up by cigarette manufacturers,” Fauzi said Sunday.
He also called for greater participation from Jakarta residents in keeping a close eye on the implementation of a 2010 gubernatorial banning smoking in public spaces.
The governor made the remarks at an event to observe National Children’s Day at the National Monument Park in Central Jakarta.
The event, which was organized by NGO Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) and was titled “Jakarta My City, Free from Cigarette Smoke”, was attended by more than 1,500 children from the capital.
At a question-and-answer session, the children also told Fauzi about the widespread prevalence of smoking.
One of the children, 10-year-old Rahayu from Kampung Rawa in Johar Baru, Central Jakarta, said that teachers at her school smoked on school premises.
Fauzi told Rahayu that she and her classmates should force the teacher to quit smoking or leave
his class.
“Tell him you will cut classes and go home instead. Tell him the Jakarta governor told you to do so,”
Fauzi said.
In May last year, Fauzi signed a gubernatorial decree making it illegal to smoke inside certain buildings and workplaces in the city.
The decree was an amendment to a 2005 bylaw that allowed smoking in designated areas in buildings.
The decree bans smoking in areas including health centers, workplaces, places of worship, public transportation and areas dedicated to education and children’s activities.
Fakta chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan said children were the most vulnerable to the dangers of smoking.
“This why we have enlisted children in our campaign against smoking,” Azas said.
He said the Jakarta administration was heading on the right track by issuing the smoking ban, a policy, which if properly enforced, could create a safe and healthy environment for children.
Fakta is a part oof the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Jakarta. Earlier this month, the Central Jakarta District Court gave the go-ahead to the coalition to defend the 2010 gubernatorial decree against a lawsuit by a group who claimed the policy discriminated against smokers.
The Jakarta administration has issued more 700 warnings to building managers as the capital steps up the enforcement of the smoking ban.
The Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) warned building managers to abide by the regulation or face being publicly named as being in violation.
The agency could temporarily close buildings that continue to flout the regulation and eventually revoke their permits.
Indonesia is among the world’s three largest tobacco consuming nations, with studies showing that tobacco consumption grew 26 percent in the last 15 years.
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