Ahok Reveals The Reason For Banning Smoking At Malll In Today's History, December 2, 2015

Dozens of students from the Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia took action in front of the Jakarta City Hall, Thursday (29/11/2024). (ANTARA/Prasetyo Utomo/hp/07)

JAKARTA History today, 10 years ago, December 2, 2015, the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) revealed the reason for the ban on smoking in malls. Ahok emphasized that the ban arose because the cost of health due to expensive cigarettes was due to dangerous smoke.

Previously, Ahok was determined to ban smoking activities in malls. Ahok was not playing games. He gives ultimatums to anyone who violates. Sanctions given can revoke business licenses.

The presence of Government Regulation Number 109 of 2012 regarding the security of materials containing addictive substances in the form of tobacco products for Health has drawn polemics. Some disagree. However, many also agree.

Ahok is one of those who agrees with the policies of the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) era government. Ahok then tried to carry out an appeal to prohibit smoking in public spaces. Ahok considers the case of prohibiting people from smoking is not difficult.

He also tried to narrow the space for smokers to move in Jakarta. He didn't want a smoking room in the building. He considered the smoking room ineffective. The result is the same. Cigarette smoke is not completely lost.

This condition made Ahok promise to remove the smoking room in the mall in 2013. Ahok felt that the presence of the smoking room was not a form of solution. The smoking room is actually seen as disturbing other visitors.

The smoke still has the potential to spread around the mall. Ahok asked mall managers to remove all smoking rooms, except on the terrace facing the outside. Ahok will also revoke the function-worthy certification if anyone refuses to remove it.

"We also don't want to provide a cigarette room, people who want to smoke must just leave. So if you have a mall, there are still people who can smoke in it, meaning that you will be revoked for a decent certificate of function, evaluation must be carried out," said Ahok at City Hall as quoted on the page. Ribunaws.com, May 3, 2013.

Ahok's smoking ban effort went well. However, there are several shophouse tenants at the mall who provide smoking access to visitors. This condition made Ahok furious. He threatened to impose sanctions on December 2, 2015.

Ahok also considered his steps to be correct. He also considers the reason for banning cigarettes in malls is because of the health costs due to large cigarettes. Ahok also sees that cigarette smoke is the culprit of the problem.

As a result, those who are sick with cigarettes become many because they become passive smokers. A thing that makes the state lose because people are sick because of cigarettes is more than money received from cigarette excise. Both are considered incomparable, sick and excise.

"Why can't you smoke inside, apart from the smell of smoke, it's also because the cost of health is expensive. Anyway, you can't, you still don't want to use EXhaust. Those outside are allowed, the terrace facing out is okay, but if you're outside but at the waiting place it's not allowed".

"The increase of nicotine pollution per cubic meter can be four to five times. People who get sick because of this are a lot, our losses can be more than the cigarette customs received," Ahok said as quoted by Lawankompas.com, December 2, 2015.