BACKGROUND: The right to health is guaranteed by Indonesia’s Constitution. However, the 2023 Tobacco Industry Interference (TII) Index, with Indonesia scoring 84, reveals pervasive tobacco industry influence in policymaking, weakening tobacco control and compromising public health. Law Number 17 of 2023 on Health includes provisions to regulate addictive substances, yet the law and its derivative Government Regulation face persistent disruptions, stemming from tobacco industry lobbying and internal government opposition. This study aims to identify strategies used by the tobacco industry to undermine health regulations, analyze arguments presented to weaken these regulations, and map the key entities involved in these disruptions.
METHODS: Data was collected from March to December 2023 through news articles, meeting presentations, and official correspondence related to the deliberation of the Health Law and its derivative government regulations. The information was categorized by event type, arguments, and organizations involved, enabling a detailed analysis of the interventions and their impact on the legislation.
RESULTS: The tobacco industry employs strategies such as spreading misleading and manipulative information, using third parties to shape public opinion, and conducting seminars, press conferences, and direct correspondence to interfere the policy-making process. Key actors include politicians, high-ranking government officials, researchers/academicians, and religious groups who are aligned with industry interests. These tactics have undermined key provisions regulating addictive substances in health law and government regulation, including the removal of bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, which are crucial for protecting children from industry marketing.
CONCLUSIONS: TII undermines Indonesia's public health policies, including efforts to protect children from tobacco marketing. Preventing this requires clear guidelines for managing conflicts of interest with the tobacco industry and adopting international best practices within government institutions, such as Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), to ensure that public health remains a priority over industry interests.