Minos concurs with Dr Sim’s stand on smoking ban
KUCHING: The Kota Samarahan Municipal Council ( KSMC) chairman supports Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian’s stand on the federal government’s smoking ban at all eateries effective Jan 1 next year.
Dato Peter Minos said Dr Sim was right in saying that the new policy to be enforced by the federal government “does not apply to Sarawak”.
“Sarawak has its own ordinance in this matter and we ( Sarawak) are free and can choose not to follow Putrajaya.
“Dr Sim is right in his view and that if and when Sarawak feels it is time to implement the smoking ban, then we will implement it,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post’s sister paper Utusan Borneo here yesterday.
He was asked to comment on Dr Sim’s statement on Sunday that the smoking ban can only be enforced in the state if the Sarawak government adopts the new policy.
According to Minos, Sarawak cannot blindly follow Putrajaya.
Responding to Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen’s statement that the Sarawak government should make clear its stand on the ban, he said the Democratic Action Party ( DAP) Sarawak chairman was trying to gain political mileage out of this issue.
Saying that all peninsula-based political parties would follow whatever policies implemented by Putrajaya, he pointed out that the situation in Sarawak is different since “we have our autonomy and ordinance”.
“We are not obligated to follow them ( Putrajaya) by setting aside our own ordinance. It is their right in Putrajaya to implement the policy they want but we in Sarawak can have a different way of doing it,” he added.
From Jan 1, smoking will be banned at all eateries – air- conditioned and nonairconditioned – including restaurants, coffee shops, open-air hawker centres and street stalls.
This was announced by Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye during a forum at the Asian Institute of Medical, Science and Technology in Kedah last October.
Any person who is caught smoking at prohibited areas will be fined RM10,000 and eateries found not enforcing the ban will be fi ned RM2,500.