PETALING JAYA: The Sarawak government has been criticised for putting off the ban on smoking at eateries. The ban will be enforced nationwide from tomorrow except in Sarawak.
Philip Wong, director of Sarawak Institute for Public Affairs (Sipa), questioned the state’s decision not to enforce the ban.
“This is really astonishing and certainly not what Sarawakians expect from the department and the local ministry,“ he said in a letter to theSun.
“Why should such a straightforward and beneficial law not be enforced in Sarawak together with the other states in the country?”
He added that it was the most embarrassing and ridiculous childish act by the state with regards to state autonomy on certain laws and acts which is not doing any good to the people.
The Borneo Post today reported that the Sarawak Health Department would call for a meeting with various stakeholders on Jan 9 to discuss the ban.
According to Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, the next course of action with regard to the new policy would only be figured out after that meeting.
The ban will be enforced according to the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations (Amendment) 2018 where all eateries, whether air-conditioned or not will be no smoking areas in Malaysia.
The ban covers all food places like food stalls, restaurants, food courts as well as food trucks and stalls and even restaurants on ships and trains.
The Health Ministry has called for business, owners to display no smoking signage in a visible place and not to provide any smoking facilities like ashtrays in their premises.
Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the first six months will be more of a grace period to educate and warn smokers.
The Ministry will double up on enforcement as a process to educate the public and called on the public to direct complaints about non-compliant smokers to the ministry’s hotline at 03-8892 4530.
However, within this six months, stubborn smokers who ignore warnings can still be fined.
Those caught smoking in prohibited areas would be fined up to RM10,000 or face two years jail while eateries found to have allowed customers to light up would be fined up to RM2,500.
Coffeeshop and restaurant owners had earlier raised concerns over the implementation and enforcement of the new ruling.
