KUCHING: Eateries throughout Sarawak have complied with the ban on smoking by displaying at least one no-smoking sign at a prominent location in their respective premises.
The ban enforced under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 (Amendment 2018) is still in its grace period meant to educate and warn smokers and the public.
The ban will take effect starting Jan 1, Feb 1 and March for Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak respectively.
State chief environmental health officer, Billy Sujang, said the department’s enforcement officers had inspected all eateries in Sarawak and found that they are all complying with the law.
“All of them have put up the signs measuring 40cm x 50cm,” he told reporters after the launch of the national-level World Environmental Health Day 2019 at a convention centre here yesterday.
Eateries are prohibited from providing any facility for smokers such as ashtrays. However,
smokers are allowed to smoke at a distance of at least three metres away from the non-smoking
areas.
Bistros and pubs will soon be subject to the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 after its amendment next year.
Currently, the law does not apply to these places, so it’s up to the owners whether or not to allow their patrons to smoke.
When the ban is fully enforced, offenders will be compounded RM250 each. Offenders can appeal for reduction for the first and second offences.
“But after that, either we drag them (smokers) to court or deny them any reduction of fines,” he said.
Billy also pointed out that by January, people caught smoking won’t be the fault of shop owners. “We’ll just
compound them.”
As for eateries, those found not displaying non-smoking sign will be fined RM250 each under Section 12 of the same law. The maximum fine for violating the ban is RM3,000 or one-year imprisonment.
Local Government and Housing Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil said the law governing the ban would be meaningless without enforcement.
“In the end, it all comes down to the attitude of the people. Despite the no-smoking signs, some people care, some don’t. It’s the same with the ‘no littering’ sign. Even where there is a signboard people still throw rubbish just below it or near it,” he said, adding that a lot of education and enforcement are, therefore, badly needed.
“The most important thing is the enforcement. No point in making a law without enforcing it strictly. If people dare to transgress God’s laws, likewise they think nothing of breaking man-made laws,”.
