BY YISWAREE PALANSAMY
Malaysian Public Health Physicians Association president Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar told a news conference that the group supports the move by the Health Ministry to ban smoking at all eateries, while only gazetting 23 places for smokers. Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control secretary-general Mohd Shani Abdullah said the government has already enacted laws to ban smoking in public, but the ministry initiative would confuse the public.
The NGOs listed seven reasons to support their objection, namely pointing out smoking as an unhealthy lifestyle, and the effects it has on the public and the environment. “The problem of indiscriminate disposal of cigarette butts, is still not addressed, as via research and observations, smokers still discard their cigarette butts everywhere,” the NGOs said.