KUALA LUMPUR: Starting tomorrow, the smoking ban in all eateries in the country will come into force.
Since Jan 1 this year, eateries nationwide have been gearing up for the implementation of the ban.
Most premises put up “No Smoking” signs, while some establishments provided a smoking room or a place to sit for smokers 3m away from the restaurant, as per the ministry’s requirement.
Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (Presma) president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan said in the past year, operators of mamak restaurants had been preparing themselves for the ban on smoking.
“When the smoking ban was announced on Jan 1 this year, ‘No Smoking’ signs were promptly put up at all mamak restaurants.
“And the staff were instructed to tell customers to light up or vape 3m away.
“In the early stages, there were issues with educating customers about the ban as some customers simply refused to cooperate.
“That resulted in our staff being verbally and physically assaulted by these stubborn customers.
“However, I have seen improvements over time.
“People began to obey the ban, and it resulted in more happy customers, especially those with families and small kids,” he told the New Straits Times.
Jawahar believed the public will be able to abide by the rule once the ban was enforced beginning tomorrow.
“After a year of practising to smoke 3m away from restaurants, I believe smoking customers will have no problem obeying the rule.
“We can see eateries have turned into smoke-free places. It shows huge progress compared with the first day when it was introduced. People are more aware and understanding of the ban.”
Checks in Jalan Pudu, Jalan Masjid India and Central Market area showed that no-smoking signs were put up in almost all eateries.
Some restaurant staff were seen approaching customers to urge them to smoke outside.
When interviewed, some customers were excited to see the public’s shift in attitude on smoking in eateries.
However, others were sceptical about its enforcement.
Muhammad Fuad Mohd Nizam, 21, said the ban was a good effort by the ministry, but he felt the public would not obey it.
“After a year in practice, there is a small number of stubborn smokers who are disobeying the regulation.
“Such people think that they are entitled to smoke anywhere they please.
“This may be due to a lack of enforcement officers from the health authorities, who aren’t big in numbers compared with the police. There are a lot of eateries to monitor,” he said.
Another customer, Afiq Syazwan, 21, said the smoking ban would reach a 100 per cent success rate if the public was willing to cooperate in upholding the regulation.
He said smokers could continue patronising restaurants for as long as they light up 3m away from the premises, but the onus was on the public to report smokers who did not adhere to the rules.
“We need everybody’s involvement to make this work and this includes the smokers, non-smoking customers and, of course, the eatery’s staff,” he said.
All food and beverage premises have been gazetted as non-smoking areas as required under the Control of Tobacco Products (Amendment) Regulations 2018. Offenders who are found guilty can be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed up to two years under Regulation 11 of the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004.
The public are advised to report on offenders by calling the Health Ministry hotline at 03-8892 4530 during office hours or to send a WhatsApp message to 010-860 8949.
When reporting errant smokers through WhatsApp, users must include the name and address of the restaurant, a photo of the smoker in action, and time and date of the incident.
The public can also report if an eatery does not put up “No Smoking” signs within the premises.