No Smoking, Please

No Smoking Last Sunday was World No Tobacco Day, an event that left me, a non-smoker, both fuming and choking at the same time. Fuming because the supposedly anti-smoking law that forbids smoking in public places in Jakarta is nowhere near being implemented, and choking because the gall of some smokers in persistently shoving their bad habits down our throats.

I personally think there is a perfectly simple explanation why the regulation banning smoking in public places in Jakarta doesn’t work.
Though before I delve into it, allow me to remind the readers about the regulation passed in Jakarta four years ago, namely that smoking
in seven areas, including public spaces in offices and commercial buildings, health facilities, work facilities and public
transportation, is illegal and punishable by fines of up to fifty million rupiahs or jail time of up to six months.

Pretty stiff penalties for puffing a cigarette one would imagine, but not worth the ink they are printed on if there is absolutely no
intention of enforcing them. Especially when even the country’s public officials don’t seem to be aware or care that there is such a
decree. Which is exactly the reason why the law, four years down the line, is practically up in smoke.

An example of this is a public official I had to interview on one of the talk shows that I hosted recently, who happened to be a certain
Director General of a quite important government Department - and who happened to be a smoker.

The TV station where I work has a non-smoking policy inside the building, as a matter of fact long before the smoking ban was passed,
and one that is strictly observed. And this includes in the guest lounge. Now, I don’t know whether it’s the effect of long-term smoking that affected the function of this Director General’s brains or whether it was a deficient genetic predisposition that endowed him
with a flawed sense of reasoning (or probably both) that, despite the non-smoking sign on the wall and the presence of other guests, made this Director General insist on lighting up.

When he was politely reminded by the guest lounge staff that he was in a non-smoking room, his response, strangely enough, was one of great offense. Now, I say strangely enough, because in my experience, a sane individual in his right mind in this situation would either
immediately put the offending cigarette out (a decent person would even apologize for the oversight) or, if the pull of the nicotine
addiction proves too much, leave the room and do the smoking in designated areas, which in this case, is the open air terrace near by.

Meanwhile, the guest lounge staff, visibly shaken at such a high-handed treatment and at a loss what to do, reported the matter to
my producer, who fortunately is more adept at dealing with different varieties of egos, from the big all the way to the inflated, as the
shows he handles often involve all kinds of public officials. He patiently explained the non-smoking regulation that applies to
everybody regardless and offered to accompany him to the terrace where he could puff away to his heart’s content. (I was at this time
blissfully unaware of this drama as I was being made up for the show, but was told of the event afterwards - which was just as well, as I
would not have displayed such patience and understanding in the face of such shameful behaviour.)

Our distinguished official however, was not moved by the entreaties. Instead he proceeded to insult my poor producer calling him a young
upstart who should show more respect to his elder and better instead of ordering him what to do. Surely he was too important for petty
things such as a non-smoking policy? After all, what was the big deal about smoking in the room any way?

My producer was torn between the need to coax and escort his precious guest to the terrace and to attend to the show that was about to
start. Finally, the Director General, with much cursing and verbal abuses brought his lit cigarette to the terrace whereupon he
culminated his displeasure with a threat to forego the interview altogether and go home.

By this time my producer was quite happy at the prospects of seeing the back of him and did not do much to keep him seeing that the other guest of the show had already arrived. He was another Director General (non-smoker and less volatile in temperament) who was already there following the whole proceedings but wise enough to keep whatever thoughts he had about his colleague’s behaviour to himself. Instead he coaxed him to join him on the show.

And to be honest I did not notice anything was amiss except I did wonder why my guests joined me so late on the set and why one of my
important guests did not seem to be in a good temper!

(Desi Anwar: First appeared on Tempo English)