President asked to revise Indonesia’s draft tobacco control regulation

Tobacco industry lobbyists have urged the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to revise the draft government regulation (RPP) on tobacco control, according to a story in the Jakarta Post.

The lobbyists say that the president should take into account the opinions of all stakeholders before signing the draft.

The Indonesian Tobacco Growers Association (APTI) chairman, Nurtanio Wisnu Brata, said yesterday that the draft had not accommodated the needs of those who opposed the planned regulation.

If the regulation turned out to be damaging to the welfare of tobacco farmers, Nurtanio said, the APTI would boycott the government by refusing to participate in elections and refusing to pay taxes.

The government is bound by law to regulate tobacco, but three years after Law No. 36/2009 was passed, the government has yet to issue its tobacco regulation.

Two key issues in the tobacco regulation are the inclusion of graphic health warnings on cigarette packs and the designation of smoke-free zones.