Search

Smoking ban: Some ready, others not

Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
Telegram
Email
File Photo: Premiere Food Junction

By Lee Shaw Wei & Nur Ashikin Louis

KUCHING: It looks like the locals are ready for the implementation of the smoking ban slated to begin in less than two months’ time.

Although there is no strict enforcement of the ban at the moment, everybody has been supporting the new law by moving a distance of three metres away from the premises to smoke.

Premiere Food Junction owner James, 27, verified this by saying that most smokers are coping with the law.

Premiere Food Junction

“From my observation, I believe Sarawakians are very accepting towards this new law.

“If and when the smokers want to smoke, they will naturally move away from the dining tables,” he told New Sarawak Tribune recently.

“I’m happy with the law because it is good for non-smokers especially families with children and old folk,” he continued.

One of the co-owners of Noms Malaysia, Ardeles, 28, revealed that they had yet to face any problem regarding smokers smoking around their premises.

“I don’t see any smokers who smoke while sitting outdoor as we don’t provide cigarette trays.

“I believe customers are smart enough and it is common sense to not smoke with all the ‘no smoking’ signs being put on the wall of eateries,” he added.

On the other hand, 22-year-old Imran said there are some smokers who are still smoking at the eateries despite the smoking ban.

Imran

“Since the implementation of the six months’ education of the smoking ban, there are many smokers who have started to follow the rule of smoking three metres away from eateries, but there are also some smokers who are unbothered by it,” he said.

Imran operates a roti canai stall at Warong Nusantara in iCOM Square.

However, he noted that the blame should not solely be on the smokers because the eateries should also work together in realising the implementation.

“We (eateries personnel) have this fear of telling our customers off because we want to avoid from getting into fights or scare our customers away,” he said.

Nonetheless, he expressed gratitude to majority of the smokers who obliged to the law.

The smoking ban came into effect on March 1, this year, with the first six months as an education enforcement period.

Download from Apple Store or Play Store.