JANUARY 2 — The government has added another couplet to its populist elegy: Under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 and Control of Tobacco Product (Amendment) Regulations 2017, it is now a criminal offence — punishable by jail time — to light up a cigarette even in a seemingly innocuous place like an outdoor eatery.
This has been hailed as a victory by the righteous anti-smokers who rally together in support each time a virtue-signalling statement is made by an authority figure. The smokers, who have been subject to the tyranny of the majority, deflated in their spirits, have at least the intangible sense of irony that I hope may comfort them when I assert that the smoking ban is fascistic in nature.
That ‘F’ word is one that should not be used to describe things aimlessly. Fascism has led to the loss of millions of lives during World War 2 and has even leeched its way into certain groups in our modern society. It would not be a far cry to attribute these zealous smoking bans to fascism, as any cursory glance to the history of it depicts it so.
The first example of a widespread smoking ban in modern times comes from the Third Reich. With Adolf Hitler at the helm, hundreds of thousands of Reichsmarks were poured into research and propaganda that may ensure the “racial purity” of the Herrenmenschen (member of the master race). Hitler, who was a heavy smoker in his younger days and had allegedly thrown his last pack into the Danube in 1919, had also frequently pointed out that fellow fascists Mussolini and Franco were also non-smokers.
It is worth mentioning that the research pertaining to the adverse effects of smoking done by the Nazis were decades ahead of its time though disputable. However, it was all done and commissioned in the context of “saving” the lives of the “master race” from the “degeneracy” of the untermensch (psychopath). That’s the rationale.
The next example brings us to the 21st century, when ISIS had controlled large swaths of land across Mesopotamia. A total smoking ban was reported to be implemented by the group back in 2015.
Unlike the Nazis, this group lacked the scientific research that pointed out the detrimental effects of smoking. But what they lacked in the scientific method they had compensated with brutality. The punishment meted out to smokers by ISIS would make any anti-smokers here blush.
I have read a few articles in recent weeks written by anti-smoking lobbyists who — in their attempt to debunk the claims of smokers — claim that we should follow the example set by Bhutan, which implemented a nationwide smoking ban in 2005. This tiny, landlocked country with a measly population not exceeding a million people seems unimpeachable.
Prior to the adoption of a parliamentary democracy in 2008, Bhutan was a state with an absolute monarch ruled by Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Except for his righteous smoking ban, he is notable for the ethnic cleansing of the Nepali-speaking minority in the 1990s. Over 100,000 people had been displaced in refugee camps, with their lands seized and properties expropriated — all in the name of “national unity”.
The bond between a fervent smoking ban and fascism is striking. Throughout history, there have always been groups of people hustling their way to power to tell people to do things for their own good. And as long as vapid, virtue-signalling claims please the populace, the government will keep assuming its role in loco parentis. (Latin for “in the place of a parent”).
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
