DKI Provincial Government Claims Raperda KTR Is Still Dynamic, Public Input Is Still Opened

Illustration of a no-smoking area (ANTARA)

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government emphasized that the preparation of the Draft Regional Regulation on Non-Smoking Areas (Raperda KTR) is still dynamic and open to various inputs from the public, both supportive and repulsive.

Chairman of the Sub-Corruption Group for the People's Health Sector of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government Legal Bureau, Afifi, stated that the discussion process for the Raperda KTR is still ongoing at the level of the Special Committee (Pansus) for the Raperda of the DKI DPRD KTR.

Therefore, the public participation room is still wide open before the regulation is enacted by the Governor of DKI Jakarta.

"In general, until before the Regional Regulation (Non-Smoking Area) was promulgated and determined by the Governor, any possibility related to the input of substance material, both from the pros and cons of this regional regulation, is still possible like that," Afifi told reporters, Friday, October 17.

He explained that the discussion at the DPRD special committee was still part of the drafting process which involved many stages, starting from the discussion at the Regional Regulation Formation Agency (Bapemperda), facilitation at the Ministry of Home Affairs, until later it was ratified through a plenary meeting.

"So in principle, all input from the public, whatever it is related to MSMEs, cigarette sales, related to the issue of the radius, we will still accommodate it," he explained.

Afifi admitted that public participation in the formation of regional regulations was mandated in Law Number 12 of 2011 concerning the Establishment of Legislation.

"So the principle is that in this Raperda it is still dynamic, all input can still be responded to as part of the special committee. We will accommodate all input from the community from both pro and cons," explained Afifi.

Furthermore, Affi also dismissed the assumption that the Raperda of Non-Smoking Areas would prohibit people from smoking completely.

He emphasized that the regulation only stipulates certain locations as non-smoking areas as mandated by Government Regulations regarding the implementation of the Health Law.

"So it is important to read this Raperda as a whole. What we prohibit is in an area without cigarettes. So related to the prohibition, it applies in an area without cigarettes. Outside an area without cigarettes, the prohibition does not apply, the logic is like that," he added.