A ‘No Smoking’ sign reminds patrons to refrain from puffing at a restaurant in Johor Baru. — VENESA DEVI/The Star
Customers and business operators want authorities to take action against errant smokers in Johor
IT has been five years since the smoking ban in eateries took effect in Malaysia, but the sight of people puffing cigarettes at these establishments remains commonplace, say Johor folk.
While some feel that the ban has reduced the frequency of people smoking openly in eateries, others say it has done little to deter smokers.
However, there seems to be a general consensus among the public and restaurant owners whom StarMetro spoke to, on the need to beef up enforcement.
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Aisha Mohd Yusof, 37, said she was disappointed to see people still smoking openly at eateries as she had expected the ban to have a stronger effect.
“I see people smoking at restaurants without being discreet or moving away to avoid affecting the health of others.
Smoke-free zone: A no-smoking sign put up at the entrance to a restaurant in Kulai, Johor. Some eateries also stick reminders of the smoking ban, on every table. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
“This is in spite of the many no-smoking signs put up in eateries and implementation of the smoking ban,” she added.
Aisha’s main concern is the health of her two children, especially her older daughter who suffers from asthma.
“I want to be able to enjoy a meal with my family without having to worry about my children’s health.
“I am disappointed that this problem continues years after the ban is implemented,” said the student management assistant.
Echoing a similar sentiment was businessman Tan Choo Oo, 65, who said the authorities needed to be more proactive if they were serious about ensuring eateries remained smoke-free.
“If there is increased enforcement, I believe people will be more afraid of smoking in these places and eventually get used to putting their cigarettes away at eateries.
Aisha is disappointed to see people still openly smoking at eateries.
“We can see this in Singapore, where the people dare not defy any smoking ban as they know that enforcement is tight.
“Ideally, we want people to be responsible and voluntarily choose to smoke in the right place.
“Unfortunately, the possibility of that happening is slim,” he said.
He added that it would take a long time for the people here to adhere to the ruling on their own.
“Even in other non-smoking areas, such as public parks and bus terminals, we can still see people lighting up cigarettes.
“For now, I feel that the ban has not been very effective, but there are some improvements in certain places in the city,” said Tan.
Lim suggests that eatery owners create smoking areas outside their shop.
A smoker, who wanted to be known only as Jamal, said it was not difficult for him to smoke in eateries after the ban was imposed.
“When the ban first took effect, I obeyed it as I did not want to take any chances.
“But after some time, it no longer felt risky to smoke (in an eatery),” he said.
He also said that there was a need for designated smoking areas.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to look for a spot to smoke, so at times, I give up trying and just smoke wherever I see fit.
“However, if anyone at the place tells me not to smoke, I will stop and apologise to the person,” said Jamal.
Meanwhile, restaurant owners say it is unfair that they are penalised for offences committed by others.
Hew says customers still smoke in the shop despite reminders on each table.
Lina Hew, 30, who manages a family restaurant in Johor Baru, said there were still customers who smoked in the shop despite the no-smoking sticker pasted on every table.
“They cannot claim that they do not know, as there are reminders on the tables.
“Thankfully, none of the people who smoke in my shop argue when I tell them to smoke far away from the (eating) area,” she said.
She stressed that it was difficult for her to manage the restaurant and at the same time monitor whether customers were smoking.
“It is especially difficult during peak hours.
“I hope that the government can consider leaving restaurant owners out of this,” said Hew.
Another restaurant manager, Anne Choong, 45, said the smoking ban had helped her to keep the restaurant smoke-free.
“I agree that restaurant owners should not be penalised for this (if customers smoke on the premises).
Hussein says the smoking ban only deterred smokers at the start of the ban.
“I appreciate how the ban has reduced the number of people smoking here.
“Most customers have adhered to the ruling so far and the few who don’t, would obey when they are asked to smoke outside,” she said.
Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association (Perusim) secretary-general Hussein Ibrahim said the ban had not deterred smokers from lighting up in restaurants.
“In the beginning, the ban helped to deter smokers from smoking in restaurants, but it did not last long.
“Previously, there were some patrons who would try to smoke discreetly, but now, they are openly smoking without worrying about any action being taken against them.
“These people would also continue to smoke even after we tell them to stop, and the no-smoking signs are visible at the premises,” he said.
He added that this was worrying for a lot of restaurant owners who could also face action taken against them if customers were caught defying the smoking ban.
“In order to protect themselves, some restaurant operators would also take photos of their staff reminding the smokers to stop.
“At least we have some proof if the Health Department conducts checks,” said Hussein.
He said there were smokers who refused to stop when told, especially when it was the restaurant’s foreign worker reminding them.
“We cannot monitor customers all the time as we are busy attending to customers and running a business.
“On top of that, some restaurant workers, especially those who are foreigners, are reluctant to tell customers to stop smoking as they may get a harsh response,” he said.
Hussein said that in view of calls from its members, Perusim had a meeting with the Health Department earlier this year to discuss the issue.
“We hope that they will focus on penalising smokers instead,” he said, adding that businesses were still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johor Baru Business and Hawker Association president Roland Lim, who also runs a kopitiam (Chinese coffeeshop), suggested that owners create a smoking area elsewhere.
“I have put some chairs opposite my shop so that smokers can puff away without defying any regulations, but many are still opting to smoke inside the kopitiam.
“This is not really a problem that air-conditioned restaurants are facing.
“However, for open-air eateries, including hawker centres and kopitiam, this is a serious problem,” he said.
He urged the authorities to conduct more checks so that smokers, especially serial offenders, would stop puffing in the premises.
“However, I also hope that the authorities will be fair with restaurant owners as most have already done their best to tell customers not to smoke.
“I hope that the authorities will also take action against those who throw cigarette butts indiscriminately, as this affects the cities’ cleanliness,” said Lim.
Malaysia enforced a no-smoking ruling at all eateries nationwide from Jan 1, 2019.
However, smokers are permitted to light up 3m away from the establishments.
Those caught smoking in prohibited areas can be fined up to RM10,000 or face two years’ jail, while eateries found to have allowed customers to light up on their premises will be fined a maximum of RM2,500.
