Speaker: Minister hasn’t seen me about Parliament smoking ban
Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has not met him to discuss the no-smoking restriction in the Parliament building.
“No, the minister has not come to see me.
“But I have asked the enforcement officer to contact me to resolve the smoking ban,” he said at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
He was commenting on the Health Ministry’s decision to gazette the building as a nonsmoking zone effective Oct 15.
Members of parliament (MPs) who smoke considered the decision a discrimination against them.
They claimed the implementation did not follow procedure and should be brought up for the speaker and MPs’ approval.
On whether he was approached by MPs, who were questioning the ban and had asked for the decision to be reviewed, Ariff said there were some MPs who had met him.
“As speaker, when problems arise, it is my duty to resolve them.
“Some came and objected to the ruling.”
“In the matter of the ministry’s decision to override the power of the speaker, we will discuss the matter with ministers and enforcement agencies.”
It is learnt that Parliament planned to create a new smoking area.
Previously, there were smoking areas near the Dewan Rakyat and at the cafeteria.