PUT OFF SMOKING BAN UNTIL CHALLENGE IS DISPOSED OF: GROUP

A PRO-SMOKING advocacy group yesterday urged the government to delay the full enforcement of the smoking ban at eateries, scheduled for Jan 1, by six more months to allow the Appeals Court to decide on their challenge.

The law has been in effect since Jan 1 this year but smokers had been given a “grace period”, termed educational enforcement period, of 12 months.

Persatuan Kesedaran Merokok (PKM) chairman Mohd Hanizam Yunus said since their appeal against an earlier High Court decision, which dismissed their challenge, had not been disposed of, it was only right for the government to extend the moratorium.

“We have instructed our lawyer, Haniff Khatri Abdulla, to write to the health minister to extend the moratorium from Dec 31, 2019, to June 30, 2020,“Free Malaysia Today reported him as saying.