Tobacco bill still in the pipeline despite Indonesia’s FCTC accession pledge

Indonesia’s House of Representatives plans to press ahead with discussions on a tobacco bill despite the government’s commitment to accede to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), according to a story by The Jakarta Post.

The House’s legislative body (Baleg), which has been tasked with deliberating on the bill, has insisted that the government’s FCTC plans would not affect its discussions.

“We will not cancel the deliberation because of the government’s plan to ratify it [the FCTC],” the Baleg’s deputy chairman, Sunardi Ayub, of the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), said on the sidelines of a hearing with tobacco companies on Wednesday.

“Having said that, we will write to the health minister to discuss this issue so that we can match the draft bill with the treaty.”

Earlier this month, the Post reported that Indonesian Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi had said that her country would accede to the FCTC before the end of this year.

“The treaty accession will be completed through a presidential decree,” Nafsiah was quoted as saying. “The president has agreed. God willing we will accede to the treaty before the end of the year.”