Shop owners, not Ministry should decide
Published on: Thursday, May 28, 2015
Labuan: The Health Ministry should not rush into implementing a blanket extension of the no-smoking ban, said operators of businesses here. They said it should consider the economic pattern and lifestyle of cities and towns before deciding to expand the non-smoking zones. "The Ministry should take note that while public parks and open spaces are government properties and thereby it has the right to gazette these areas as non-smoking zones, the same could not be said of properties owned by individuals and companies, including coffee shops," they said.
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"The decision on whether such properties should also be designated as non-smoking areas should be left to the owners or operators of the businesses," they added. The operator of Bintang Café here, Bernard Wong, said: "If non-smokers have rights, so do smokers. If a non-smoker favours a smoke-free coffee shop, he is at liberty to avoid shops where smoking is permitted. The Health Ministry should therefore not bulldoze itself into the routine day-to-day dealings of such shops."Bernard, who is also former Chairman of the Labuan Entertainment Association, said most shops with air-conditioners had already prohibited smoking.
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Labuan, he said, is a duty-free island and cigarettes and booze are hot selling items. "Without good sales of such items, many businessmen would have a reduced earning which would adversely affect them." He added that the recent implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), increased electricity tariff and minimum wages had already caused an increase in the business operation costs.
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"Therefore, the Health Ministry should not unnecessarily add to the woes of the business community with new regulations."On the Ministry's claim that an estimated 100,000 Malaysian died every year of smoke-related illnesses, he said there was no hard evidence on this. "Smoke-related illnesses do not necessarily arise from puffs but also from the car exhaust fumes and the smoke from factories," he added.He said the Ministry should focus on the major factors causing smoke-related illnesses and not pick on smokers all the time. "There should be more green engine vehicles on the roads and measures in place to ensure that the smoke from factories are efficiently handled without causing much air pollution."Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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