JANUARY 7 — I know, I know. The smoking ban at eateries has a puff load of problems.

Many restaurant patrons-cum-smokers hail from the B40 class; there are already two dozen-ish designated No Smoking areas; enforcement by the Health Ministry is suspect; an “educational” approach may be better; cheap cigarettes make quitting next to impossible; and so on and so forth.

Still — sorry not sorry — I think smokers had it coming.

(Before 2019), how many times have you gone to a restaurant with your kids, only to have a bunch of dudes sitting at the next table turn the whole area into a smoke bath?

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Would those smokers appreciate anyone throwing some of their sweat into their roti canai? Assuming no, then is smoke any better?

How many times have you sat down at a table and instantly regretted it when you saw ashes next to the salt-and-pepper shakers?

How many times have you wished you could tell the chain-puffers less than a table away that, bradders, can’t you see there are toddlers nearby?

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Are you blind or do you just not give a smoking damn about the effects of second-hand smoke on people, especially the very young?

No smoker worth his/her humanity would light up their Marlboros in a hospital paediatric ward, but you’d be surprised how many smokers continue huffing and puffing in restaurants despite seeing kids nearby.

A no-smoking sign is seen at an eatery in Kuala Lumpur January 1, 2019. ― Picture by Firdaus Latif
A no-smoking sign is seen at an eatery in Kuala Lumpur January 1, 2019. ― Picture by Firdaus Latif

Here’s a hypothesis: If the majority of Malaysian smokers cared enough to voluntarily keep their smoke away from folks who don’t enjoy “passive smoking” (which is like 110 per cent of non-smokers), maybe the smoking ban wouldn’t have been necessary.

And it’s not just restaurants, is it?

Smokers pollute public toilets, mall stairwells, park benches, parking lots, bus stops and just about anywhere people are usually stationary.

How many times have you sat meditating in a public (or office) toilet only to suddenly realise that you’re breathing in second-hand smoke because the person in the next cubicle (in violation of property regulations) is both taking a dump and breathing out shit at the same time?

Do smokers care about the poor kakak on duty who not only has to clean and pick up unused (and sometimes even used) toilet paper all over the washrooms, but — because of inconsiderate smokers who can’t read “NO SMOKING” signs — also has to clean the discarded ashes, both from the metal spider-web at the centre of the sink, not to mention from the exact spot where piss flows into? You think folks like her are overpaid or what?

But, yay, suddenly there’s a three-metre keep-your-distance restriction for smokers in restaurants, and the “smoking community” is all up in arms?

The ban violates your constitutional rights, you say? The right to what, to care more about those people who want healthier lungs?

Smoke away from non-smokers. Take a walk. Or sit real far (about three metres?).

Clear away your own ash and butts. Remind your smoker friends to do the same. Shame on those who don’t.

Then, and only then, complain about a smoking ban.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.