Protested By MSME Actors, DPRD Revokes The Prohibition Of Selling Cigarettes With A Radius Of 200 Meters From Education Units At The KTR Raperda

JAKARTA - The Regional Regulation Formation Agency (Bapemperda) of the DKI Jakarta DPRD has completed the discussion of the Draft Regional Regulation (Raperda) for Non-Smoking Areas which will be ratified in the near future.

Chairman of the Bapemperda of the DKI DPRD, Abdul Aziz, said that there was an article that was revoked in the Raperda KTR, namely the rules that led to the sale of cigarettes at a radius of 200 meters from educational units and children's playgrounds.

Since being included in the draft Raperda, this article has indeed been protested by a number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Small traders are worried that their business continuity will decline due to the ban.

"We appreciate the Special Committee for KTR, which has worked for six months to prepare, evaluate, and provide input on the proposed draft (Raperda KTR). From the results of the Bapemperda discussion, the article (banning the sale of cigarettes with a radius of 200 meters) has been dropped," Aziz told reporters, Wednesday, November 26.

After this, the DKI Jakarta DPRD brought a draft Raperda KTR to be facilitated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) to ensure the conformity of the rules in the Raperda with higher laws and regulations.

In the process, Aziz admitted that there could be provisions in the articles in the Raperda KTR which were changed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. "This is not final, because the Ministry of Home Affairs will still give considerations based on the rules above," said Aziz.

Aziz admitted that in fact the provision for prohibiting the sale of cigarettes with a radius of 200 meters from educational units and children's playgrounds has been stated in Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health and Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024 concerning the Implementation of the Health Law. So, the Ministry of Home Affairs could again include the article on the prohibition that has been dropped.

"Our task in Bapemperda is to convey the results of the meeting. After that, the Ministry of Home Affairs will discuss it further. If they return the article, we must follow because the position of the Ministry of Home Affairs is higher," Aziz explained.

Previously, a number of MSME actors consisting of street vendors, grocery stalls, mobile coffee, and warteg expressed a firm rejection of the Raperda for Non-Smoking Areas (KTR) during the finalization process of the Raperda by the Bapemperda of the DKI Jakarta DPRD.

The business actors who are members of the MSME Coalition emphasized that these rules are not realistic to apply to small businesses and actually increase the burden on traders who are currently hit by the economic situation.

They also assessed that the DKI Jakarta DPRD did not understand the conditions of the field. They assessed that the discussion was carried out without considering the direct impact on MSMEs that depend on the sale of cigarette products.

"Small traders are currently struggling. Now, we are increasingly responding to the unacceptable, irrational KTR Ranperda. Don't just knock on the hammer," said Jakarta MSME Coalition spokesman Izzudin Zindan, Monday, November 17.