Mr President, please don't sell your people's health to Big Tobacco

The then minister said tobacco companies had asked him not to introduce pictorial warnings on cigarette packages. “The company representatives continuously tried to approach me when I was in parliament, at home and at the office,” he recalled. But he did not meet them, as there was nothing to discuss, Sirisena was quoted as saying.

In 1997, the US tobacco industry mounted an unprecedented lobbying effort aimed at convincing Congress to support the industry’s sweetheart deal. Tobacco companies and industry associations reportedly spent over US$35.5 

million lobbying Congress and the executive, or more than $66,000 for every Congress member.

This money paid for prominent law firms, former Congress members, former Capitol Hill staffers, an ex-governor and a former Republican Party leader.

Philip Morris Co splashed out $15.8 million to push this deal, followed by RJR Nabisco, which spent $5.4 million to promote the bailout. Lobbying has become more aggressive in other countries as well since most of the civilised world is introducing strict rules to control tobacco consumption in a bid to protect people’s health.

The burden of healthcare will be much heavier if tobacco consumption goes uncontrolled.

Even in the US, one of the Healthy People 2020 programme objectives is to reduce tobacco use to 12 per cent in 2020 from 18 per cent in 2008. (Our own industry minister, by contrast, wants relaxed regulations to take the pressure of the country’s tobacco companies.)

The American tobacco industry is experiencing the biggest crush in the last two decades, everywhere in the world, and looking for new markets. Ironically, this move is supported by the government. It is as if the US government is telling tobacco-pushers, “Don’t poison American people with your product; go and poison foreigners!”

The easiest targets are developing countries with weak governments and weak tobacco regulations. In the past tobacco firms have tried, with the assistance of the US government, to persuade Thailand, Korea, Japan and Indonesia. Only Indonesia has 

welcomed them wholeheartedly.

As former economics and environment minister Emil Salim said recently, Indonesia is an easy target for the tobacco industry because of weak governance and the corrupt mentality among its politicians.

President Jokowi, you will soon fly to the US and as part of your visit you will surely meet the American Chamber of Commerce, which includes big tobacco companies, as well as President Obama.

Big American Tobacco will then offer you a big promise to invest in Indonesia. Of course they will not openly offer you money. A few years ago Phillip Morris indicated an intention to close its factory in Malaysia (and perhaps Australia) and relocate it to Indonesia. They know how the Indonesian government is weak and how politicians are easy to bribe.

Please remember that your government signed the Sustainable Development Goals, which state that tobacco consumption leads to increased poverty — which I believe is against your ideals as stated in the Nawacita, your nine priority programmes.

Have a very nice trip to the US, but please do not sell your people to Big Tobacco. Be brave in defending the health of your people.