Konvensi Pengendalian Tembakau Ditolak Pemerintah
Indonesian Govt Refuses to Sign Tobacco Control Convention (FCTC)
Reporter : Rusdi Kamal
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
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Jakarta (B2B) - Pemerintah memutuskan menolak menandatangani Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) atau konvensi pengendalian tembakau.
"Keputusan tersebut bukan bersifat sementara, melainkan bersifat jangka panjang sepanjang masih banyak dukungan," kata Direktur Industri Minuman dan Tembakau Kementerian Perindustrian Faiz Ahmad di Kudus, Jawa Tengah, Kamis.
Sejauh ini, kata dia, Presiden juga menolak menandatanganinya menyusul tidak adanya kesepakatan di antara sejumlah kementerian. Selain itu, saat ini juga sudah ada surat dari legislatif kepada kementerian terkait agar menunda atau tidak meratifikasi FCTC.
Meskipun FCTC tidak ditandatangani, kata dia, regulasi yang ada saat ini tetap harus berjalan.
Ia mengakui bahwa dukungan terhadap industri hasil tembakau (IHT) saat ini makin berkurang karena tercatat hanya Kementerian Perindustrian dan Kementerian Perdagangan.
Meskipun Indonesia tidak menandatangani FCTC, dia yakin tidak ada lembaga swadaya masyarakat (LSM) asing yang akan mendesak pemerintah Indonesia.
Apabila Pemerintah meratifikasi FCTC, menurut dia, nantinya Indonesia harus tunduk pada acuan yang telah ditentukan FCTC.
Salah satunya, lanjut dia, harga cukai rokok harus dinaikkan setinggi-tingginya.
Sementara itu, industri rokok saat ini sudah banyak yang gulung tikar karena tidak mampu menutup tingginya biaya produksi seiring dengan tingginya tarif cukai rokok.
"Kretek merupakan industri heritage (warisan) yang harus dijaga," ujarnya.
Jakarta (B2B) - The Indonesian government has decided not to sign Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to protect the countrys tobacco industry.
The decision is not temporary but it is effective as long as there is still agency wanting to protect the industry, director of beverage and tobacco industries at the industry ministry Faiz Ahmad said.
Faiz said support for the policy to maintain tobacco industry has diminished leaving only the industry ministry and the trade ministry are for maintaining the existence of the industry.
The president also refused to sign FCTC as there is still no unanimity among the government agencies on the FCTC. In addition, there was a letter from the House asking the government to postpone signing or not to ratify the FCTC, he said.
As the FCTC is not signed, the existing regulation on tobacco industry will remain effective, he added.
If the government ratified the FCTC, Indonesia has to be abide by the references as set by it which means raising the tobacco excise as high as possible, he said.
Even now many cigarette factories are already out of business because of high production cost as a result of high excise duty.
"Clove flavored cigarette industry is a heritage that has to be protected," he said.
