Jakarta. Jakarta is pressing ahead with its proposed no-smoking regulation despite objections from street vendors to hotels, moving to expand smoke-free zones, restrict tobacco sales near schools and hospitals, and require entertainment venues to set up enclosed smoking areas.

The draft bylaw would ban smoking in 10 types of public facilities, including schools, healthcare centers, places of worship, playgrounds, and sports arenas. Entertainment venues such as bars, karaoke lounges, and nightclubs must set up separate smoking rooms, fully isolated from main activity areas to avoid disturbing other patrons.

The city also plans to regulate tobacco sales by introducing zoning rules, prohibiting cigarette sales within 200 meters of schools, playgrounds, religious sites, and healthcare facilities. Digital tobacco ads will face tighter oversight. Pramono earlier warned that students caught smoking in public risk losing their Jakarta Smart Card Plus (KJP) stipends, a sanction he said will be codified in the new regulation.

“Most importantly, the no-smoking bylaw cannot disrupt the livelihoods of small businesses,” Pramono told reporters on Monday. “As I’ve stressed many times, the rule is about where smoking is allowed. For example, smoking inside a karaoke room will be prohibited, but selling cigarettes in that venue must not be restricted. And most importantly, karaoke owners must prepare a closed smoking room so that it doesn’t disturb others.”

Still, the proposal has met stiff resistance. Street vendors and small eatery (warteg) owners argue the measures will hurt livelihoods. Six trade groups, including the Association of Street Vendors (Apkli) and the warteg community, signed a declaration rejecting the bill, saying it would erode already fragile earnings.

“This regulation will clearly impact the income of small traders who are the backbone of the local economy,” said Apkli chairman Ali Mahsun, urging both the governor and President Prabowo Subianto to shield small businesses.

The hospitality industry is also bracing for fallout. The Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) said half of hotels could be affected, warning that tighter restrictions might drive customers to neighboring cities. “We are already facing declining occupancy. Don’t let global city ambitions ignore business realities,” said PHRI’s Arini Yulianti.

The debate underscores a broader tension in Indonesia, home to one of the world’s largest smoking populations. The 2023 Indonesian Health Survey estimated 70 million smokers nationwide, with youth smoking on the rise. Over 56 percent of smokers are aged 15–19, and nearly one-fifth are between 10 and 14, sparking alarm among public health advocates.

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