All Fired up over Errant Smokers

SEREMBAN: Malaysians, including employer and worker groups, want the Government to come down hard on smokers who light up in no-smoking areas.

They feel that despite the existence of laws prohibiting smokers from lighting up in such areas, the bite in enforcement was lacking.

Cuepacs, the umbrella organisation for unions in the public sector, wants on-the-spot action to be taken against civil servants who light up at their workplace.

Its president Datuk Omar Osman said putting up “no smoking” signs at Government premises was not enough of a deterrent.

“Since Government offices and schools are gazetted non-smoking areas, a directive should be issued to spell out what action would be taken against those who violate this rule,” he said, alluding to civil servants, including teachers, who openly go against the rule.

Omar said civil servants, irrespective of rank, should be dealt with similarly if they were caught flouting the rule.

“There should be a mechanism where an employee can report a colleague who smokes in a non-smoking area,” he said.

“And immediate disciplinary action should be taken against the offender.”

Last year, 8,042 fines were issued nationwide while in 2010, only 6,033 were given out.

In the first quarter of this year, 2,813 fines were issued.

Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said there were few cases of employees flouting such rules at their workplace.

“They do not flout the law because they know this can lead to a sacking,” he said, adding that the authorities should step up on enforcement.

Malaysian Trades Union Congress president Mohd Khalid Atan said it was pointless to have laws which “are meant to be a deterrent but not enforced properly”.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the ministry had collected RM1.05mil in fines last year and RM584,351 in 2010.

In the first three months of this year, it collected RM276,728 from offenders.

Under the Control of Tobacco Products Regulations 2004, there are currently 21 categories of places where smoking is prohibited. -the Star