TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Lentera Anak Indonesia executive director Hery Chariansyah said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had neglected to protect children if he does not ratify the Framework Convection on Tobacco Control (FCTC) until the end of his term.
"The president is impartial," Hery said yesterday, adding that the FCTC aims to protect the present and future generations from bad effects of consuming cigarettes, not to shut down cigarette industry or tobacco farmers.
Hery wants the government to show its partiality towards protecting children from the danger of cigarette’s addictive substances, which is by ratifying the FCTC before the presidential term ends. Currently, the cigarette industry has targeted children to become cigarette consumers.
According to the Law No. 23/2002 about Children Protection, the state and the government are obliged to provide special protection for children from cigarettes.
By not ratifying the FCTC, Indonesia will become a market target for cigarette industry. "Out of the 177 countries, Indonesia has yet to ratify," Hery said.
TRI SUSANTO SETIAWAN