"All Transjakarta buses are attached with no smoking campaign stickers," Saefullah stated, when launching the advertisement "Smoking just burns money" on the buses in Jakarta City Hall, on Tuesday.
Saefullah noted that the advertisement from National Tobacco Control Committee are free. He considered the initiative as a stepping stone from the tobacco control community.
"Currently, the awareness of individuals or the community towards cigarettes is different. For some, smoking is acceptable; but according me, it is harmful," he remarked.
Saefullah revealed that people do not smoke inside buses these days because of restrictions.
"If they still smoke, they would be sent out immediately. Not necessarily in a halt," he told Budi Kaliwono, Head Director of Transjakarta.
Regarding the advertisement, Saefullah stated there were lots of related ads that seek to inform the public that smoking was equal to burning their money.
In fact, there are still many people who find it difficult to earn, proved by the high poverty rate.
"Ironically, those who smoke are usually poor people. The money they use to buy cigarettes should be used to buy eggs for their children to improve their intelligence.
National Tobacco Control Committee, in cooperation with Transjakarta, has launched the ads to remind the people about the consequences of smoking.
"The ads we made were to remind the people that smoking is useless," Prijo Sidipratomo SpRad, Head of the Committee, revealed.
Kaliwono welcomed the advertisement effort, saying Transjakarta fully supported the tobacco control campaign.
"Indonesians, especially Jakartans, should be able to come out of the poverty line. If smoking only makes us poorer, then why should we be doing that," he stated.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
