TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Health Ministry has rejected the draft bill on tobacco affairs bill to be included in the 2016 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas).
"We consistently reject [the draft bill]. The draft bill has no sense of urgency,” Lily Sulistyowati, director of non-transmitted disease at the Health Ministry, told Tempo on Tuesday, December 15, 2015.
Lily explained that relevant ministries under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration had agreed to halt the discussion of the draft bill. Lily explained that the tobacco industry was a subject of other laws.
The House of National Representatives National Legislation Board insisted on accelerating the discussion of the draft bill on tobacco affairs in the House's plenary session. The House claimed that the draft bill would protect tobacco farmers.
"The invitation to discuss the draft bill was made in haste so that not many people would come [to the meeting]," a member of the National Legislation Board told Tempo on Tuesday, December 15, 2015.
Information received from the House's Legislation Board on December 10, 2015, revealed that the draft tobacco affairs bill was pushed to be discussed earlier. A Legislation Board member Hendrawan Supratikno said that the draft bill discussion was aimed at protecting farmers by limiting tobacco imports.
ISTIQOMATUL HAYATI