REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) has called on the government to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to protect Indonesians from the negative effects of smoking, Deputy Secretary General Amirsyah Tambunan said here Thursday.

"Even though President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is going to step down on Oct 20, we call on him to ratify the framework for tobacco control. If the government does not care about this, the people will always be the victim," said Amirsyah.

According to Indonesian law, the government had an obligation to protect the citizen. Ratifying the framework convention for tobacco control would allow the government to protect the Indonesian people from the negative effects of smoking, he said.

President Yudhoyono has the opportunity to leave a good legacy for the people if he decides to ratify the tobacco control convention before stepping down, advisor to the National Commission for Tobacco Control Kartono Muhammad said echoing Emirsyah's views.

"During President Yudhoyono's tenure in the past 10 years, we have lobbied several ministries to join forces and ratify the tobacco control framework. Some ministries support it, some don't. If President Yudhoyono does not ratify the tobacco control convention, we will lobby president-elect Joko Widodo and vice president-elect Jusuf Kalla," said Kartono.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the first international treaty being discussed during the World Health Organization (WHO) meeting that aims to control the addictive substance in tobacco which is dangerous for human health.

The articles in the FCTC emphasize the importance of reducing the demand for tobacco products. The main focus of the FCTC is to prevent people from smoking instead of curing their addiction for smoking.

Indonesia is the only country in Asia and a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which has not yet ratified the FCTC.

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