The Head Of The Apparatus Asks For The Prohibition Of Selling Cigarettes Radius 200 Billion Is Removed From The Health RPP

Illustration - Tobacco Farmers. (Photo: Doc Antara)

JAKARTA - The All-Indonesian People's Market Association (Apartion) rejects the regulation on prohibiting the sale of tobacco products with a zoning of 200 meters from educational units and children's playgrounds at the RPP Health.

Chairman of Aparsi Suhendro said the regulation was considered unreasonable to implement and could suppress the economy of market traders, most of whom depend on their income from tobacco products.

"This rule raises debates that are increasingly troubling the fate of market traders in the future. This also raises the question of whether this rule wants to reduce the number of smokers' consumption or actually reduce the income of market traders?" he said, quoted from ANTARA, Thursday, July 4.

Suhendro admitted that the regulation on the prohibition of selling cigarettes with a zoning of 200 meters was confusing.

In addition, the plan to ban the sale of cigarettes with a zoning of 200 meters does not take sides with small wong.

The regulation also has the potential to erode the income of Aparsi members, namely around 9 million market traders in 9,000 markets spread throughout Indonesia.

In fact, continued SUhendro, market traders are currently experiencing pressure due to the unstable price of basic necessities.

"Many of them sell cigarettes and depend on their income on cigarettes. Their business will be at stake," he said.

Therefore, Suhendro also asked the government, especially President Joko Widodo, to issue tobacco regulations from the Health RPP or postpone the ratification of the Health RPP if the article on the prohibition of the sale of tobacco products with a zoning of 200 meters remains in it.

He emphasized the importance of participation from all related parties so that tobacco rules in the Draft Health Government Regulation (RPP) do not cause pros and cons.

The RPP Health is the implementing rule of Law (UU) Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health.

"We ask the government to reconsider the impact that will be felt by market traders if this rule is ratified. People's market life should be protected by the government, not even harmed," he said.

The apparatus is also ready to support the government's efforts to prevent the prevalence of child smokers through increasing education and socializing the dangers of smoking in children to the wider community so that understanding related to this is getting better.

"We believe that education is the key to increasing the understanding of the dangers of smoking in children. Various educational efforts can be optimized, including through collaboration with us perpetrators who are directly dealing with consumers in the field," said Suhendro.

Aparsi menganggap regulasi yang berlaku saat ini sudah menjadi jalan tengah yang baik, di mana batas usia pembelian olah hanya bisa dilakukan oleh konsumen berusia 18 tahun ke atas tanpa harus menghambat usaha masyarakat yang juga tengah berjuang mendorong geraksi ekonomi populat melalui perdagangan di pasar tradisional.