Minister Of Health Asks Demonstrators Of The Health Law Regarding Gambing Cigarettes To Convey Their Aspirations

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (ANTARA/Hreeloita Dharma Shanti)

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin asked those who held a peaceful demonstration regarding cigarettes in front of the Ministry of Health building to express their complaints clearly.

"I think they just want to express their opinion, it's okay, the important thing is to convey it clearly," said the Minister of Health as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, July 14.

Minister of Health Budi said that as an Indonesian citizen, conveying various complaints and aspirations to the government is a natural thing as a form of democratic running.

"The submission of opinions has also often been expressed since he and other parties sat in school," he said, so that this could not be judged as a problem by the government.

"In principle, if people want to express opinions, there is no problem for me," said Budi.

However, Budi asked that every opinion submitted with the aim of commenting on a policy or government action be conveyed clearly in accordance with the main focus of discussing related parties.

In addition, Budi also requested that the various demands that would be submitted to the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), be expected to have been adjusted to the Basic Tasks and Functions (tupoksi) of the Ministry of Health, so that there would be no misunderstandings and avoid unwanted things.

"Many also demos, the motive is that sometimes we don't understand (where to take the discussion). If it's clear, we'll invite a discussion," said the Minister of Health.

Previously, the Civil Society Organization Caring for Cigarette Control said it would carry out a peaceful demonstration on Friday (14/7) at 15.00 WIB until it was completed in front of the Ministry of Health Building on Jalan Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.

The peaceful action was used as a form of reaction to the ratification of the Health Bill into law on Tuesday (11/7) with the DPR. Civil Society Organizations Care for Cigarette Control assessed that until the time of ratification there were several articles that were deemed still in a dilemma and the resolution had not found a bright spot.

One of them relates to the article on controlling addictive substances and how it sided with public health which is felt to be increasingly disappearing.

"Therefore, the Civil Society Organization Caring for Cigarette Control will carry out a peaceful "Indonesian Funeral Umbrella" as a form of our grief over the ratification of the Health Omnibus Law Bill," said the organization's official statement through the invitation.