Bone to pick with Health Ministry on move to make smokers quit

I REFER to the reports on the decision by the Health Ministry to ban smoking in all restaurants and hawker stalls across Malaysia and imposing on those who flout this rule a fine of RM10,000 or jail for up to two years.

Being a smoker, I am against this rule because we smokers have rights too. You can’t impose what you want upon others as it is fundamentally against our freedom. If we want to eat fat and lard and risk a heart attack, it is our right.

I have always followed the law which prohibits smoking in government buildings, supermarkets, schools, air-conditioned shops, et cetera. I don’t smoke in front of children or babies or when I am around non-smokers. And I always keep my distance when I smoke.

Once you are a smoker, you will not quit as long as you don’t want to. That’s the way with me. Yes, I fully understand the risks of smoking and the health concerns. But it is my life and what I chose for myself. Smoking is one of the fundamental pleasures in my life. I love having a cup of coffee in the morning and a cigarette to relax while reading the newspaper.

Smokers are a persecuted, oppressed, hated and now ostracised group of citizens. The Health Ministry has pursued this course of action, stating that the ruling was not only to encourage smokers to kick the habit but also to protect non-smokers from the effects of second-hand smoke. This is a bunch of hogwash.

Pollution from haze (from the peat fires in Indonesia) and open burning, factory and industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust emissions and construction dust, among others, is more detrimental to our health than smoking. The annual average of PM2.5 in Malaysia is 50% more than the safe level determined by the World Health Organisation, and conditions are worse in urban settings.

Did you know that many motorcycle owners remove or modify their exhaust pipes to enhance the sound of the vehicles, not caring that the bikes are emitting carbon dioxide and smoke? These are the mat rempit whose reckless antics are more dangerous to the public than smoking.

And what are the efforts being taken to reduce pollution in our atmosphere from all the other pollution sources?

Quoting Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur consultant respiratory physician Dr Sundari Ampikaipakan: “Does everyone know what we are breathing in? Do you know what’s in the air? It’s 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, 1% argon and the rest are carbon dioxide and other gases and particles. What we are very aware of is the outdoor air quality because we have experienced haze in Malaysia for so many years. We are aware of the API (Air Pollutant Index) that gives us an indication of the air quality. Our lungs can filter out anything that is 10 microns – anything below that is an issue.

“Most of the particle size in air pollution is about 2.5 microns, such as those from wood burning and forest fires. All these tiny particles get into our airways and make us cough. Even volcanic eruptions and flooding gives rise to mould in the air.”

So, this is my bone to pick with the Health Ministry: why focus on us, the smokers, when you have a whole agglomeration of other sources of pollution which are actually more detrimental to our health and wellbeing? We, the smokers, have two fundamental liberties that can be applied: Article 5 of the Federal Constitution which protects the liberty of the person and, to a lesser extent, Article 10, which protects our right to freely express ourself.

The government has rejected a suggestion by restaurant operators who want to have a designated smoking area within their premises. So it means that we are totally deprived of a right to even have a smoking room or area for us.

What I would suggest is that you drive to a food outlet, ask them to send the food to your car and then you can smoke, eat and drink in your car. Perhaps some brilliant entrepreneur will come up with an idea to host a mobile smoking coach, lounge or van. This is already happening in India, the United States and other countries, providing an avenue for smokers to light up without violating any law.

What we should ask ourselves is will this intrusion on our personal liberties be the start of encroachment into other facets of our lifestyle? How and what you eat, how you exercise and how you live might be next. Who knows? I’m just raving and irate because my life is affected by this law.

JH Seremban