Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing
SIBU: Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing hits out at the Health and Education ministries for their lack of coordination in implementing the smoking ban at eateries.
In a press statement received here yesterday, he said the matter was made worse when Senator Alan Ling also spoke on it without a full picture of the situation in Sarawak.
“Doesn’t Ling know there are plenty of habitual smokers in the rural areas? Can he expect to overturn the situation overnight without first educating the people?”
He said what Ling had said was suppressing the people to please the federal government.
He said Ling was a part of the government, and he should discern the situation to treat the matter seriously.
“To threaten and suppress the people is not the policy of the government. Even advanced nations would not go to such extent.”
Tiong said a smoking ban should start with education, and the government must realise that 23 per cent of Malaysians were smokers.
“So, education is crucial.”
He said Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye had wanted to create a non-smoking nation, which just proved his ignorance.
He questioned whether Dr Lee was concerned with other important health issues, like the air quality of the country and the problem of young people being lured into smoking, especially primary school pupils.
“The Health and Education ministries must work together for better awareness, starting with the children. They must root out this social problem. To ban smoking in certain premises won’t create such impact.
“Isn’t industrial air pollution and pollution created by cars more serious? Will smoking ban clean up the air pollution?”
He said Dr Lee should know the factors that caused health problem.
He said the smoking ban the government had resorted to was a show; it wouldn’t change things.
“The problem must be studied based on the social and cultural backgrounds of the people.”
On the part of the Sarawak government, Tiong said they were not rushing things because they wanted to study first the various factors, including smokers in the rural areas.
“Will the new government now go into the rural areas to start booking the smokers,” he asked.