Indonesia: Tobacco Control Advocates Expose Corruption after Tobacco Clause Found Mission from the National Health Bill

The Issue At the end of 2009, tobacco industry interference was suspected when an important clause about tobacco in the Indonesian Health Bill was removed before it was signed into law.

The bill that passed the Parliament on September 14th defined tobacco as an addictive substance, but that clause on tobacco was deleted in the version of the bill that was sent by Parliament to the President’s Office for signature.

Advocates from the Indonesian Tobacco Control Network (ITCN) discovered the missing clause.

Partners The ITCN includes organizations such as the National Commission for Children’s Protection (NCCP), the Indonesian Forum of Parliamentarians for Population and Development (IFPPD), the Indonesian Consumers Association (YLKI) and the National Commission on Tobacco Control (NCTC).

These organizations joined with the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) to aggressively address the issue. Advocates in Indonesia formed a new group to deal with the missing clause called the Anti Corruption Coalition on the Tobacco Clause (KAKAR).

Strategies • Advocates held a press conference to expose the manipulation and corruption surrounding the legislation on the health bill. • With the support of the former Health Minister, NCTC contacted senior advisors to the President and demanded that the clause be reinserted into the bill. • Due to the criminal nature of the deletion, tobacco control advocates called for investigations by the government and police into the government entities involved. • Advocates conducted extensive media outreach to keep the issue current and relevant throughout the investigative process.

Outcomes • The President spoke with the Cabinet Secretariat Minister and demanded that the clause be reinserted into the bill before he signed it into law. The current health law includes the clause. • There was extensive news coverage of the missing clause, including front‐page headlines in KOMPAS and Hindustan Times. o One article published on October 19 claimed that there was intense last‐ minute lobbying for the removal of the tobacco clause by the Tobacco Farmers’ Alliance and PT HM Sampoerna (owned by Philip Morris International). • In January 2010, the House’s Honorary Council confirmed that the removal of the clause was deliberate. • Investigations to identify guilty parties are ongoing.

Supporting Documents

Tempointeractive: Tobacco disappears from health law (10/7/2009) http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/kriminal/2009/10/07/brk,20091007‐ 201375,uk.html Jakarta Post: Govt denies involvement in missing law clause (10/14/2009) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/14/govt‐denies‐involvement‐missing‐ law‐clause.html Jakarta Globe: Coalition to file complaint over house committee inaction on smoking clause (1/27/2010) http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/health/coalition‐to‐file‐complaint‐over‐house‐ committee‐inaction‐on‐smoking‐clause/355290