Anies Baswedan Bans Cigarette Advertisements In Jakarta, What About Vape?

Illustration (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan prohibits cigarette advertisements or billboards, either indoors or in buildings or outdoors in Jakarta.

Head of the Section for Control of Facilities and Infrastructure of DKI Jakarta Civil service police (Satpol PP), Muhammadong, said that all ranks of Satpol PP in 5 administrative cities in Jakarta are on the field looking for the advertisements.

"Currently, the Satpol PP is actively controlling cigarette advertisements in outdoor and indoor media", said Madong when contacted, Wednesday, September 15.

The search for cigarette advertisements is carried out until September 30. Determination of the location of targeted cigarette advertisements is obtained from the results of data collection and community reports.

The most common places caught placing cigarette advertisements are minimarkets. Meanwhile, data regarding the existence of supermarkets and hypermarkets of Satpol PP is not yet known, but Satpol PP is still collecting data.

"One of the techniques for controlling it is by removing cigarette advertisements and there is also a way to cover cigarette products using a white cloth, and for cigarette advertisements that are on the walls, painting or covering them with stickers", said Madong.

However, Madong admitted that his party has not been able to take action on electronic cigarette advertisements such as vaping to cigarette candy. Because there are no rules that underlie the action.

"For vaping and cigarette candy, we have not been able to take action because vaping has no rules that regulate whether it is included in the cigarette category or not", said Madong.

"The Satpol PP hopes that there will soon be changes to the rules related to cigarettes by adding vape and candy to make it easier for us to take action", he continued.

For information, the enforcement of the ban on cigarette advertising is the implementation of the Governor's Appeal number 8 of 2021 concerning the Development of Smoking Areas. This call was signed by Anies on June 9, 2021. However, the Satpol PP action against cigarette advertisements has only been carried out this month.

"Building managers should not place billboards for cigarettes or addictive substances both indoors and outdoors, including displaying cigarette packages or packs or addictive substances at points of sale", Anies wrote in the Governor's Call (sergub).

Anies also asked the building managers to put up a no-smoking sign at every entrance and a location that is easily known by everyone in the building area and ensure that no one smokes in the no-smoking area.

"Not providing ashtrays and other cigarette butts disposal sites in no-smoking areas", Anies added.

Anies said that the development of this no-smoking area was in order to increase public protection against the dangers of smoking and reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.

"Efforts to protect the public from the dangers of smoking will be successful if all components of society, especially all building managers in DKI Jakarta Province, actively participate in monitoring and enforcing the law in no-smoking areas", said Anies.