KUALA LUMPUR: Food premises operators and owners should not worry that their businesses will be affected by the smoking ban as alleged by some quarters.
A restaurant operator Farook Hassan Mohamed Hussain said the food and beverage industry in Malaysia has grown steadily every year and he did not see the ban would have major impact on their businesses.
“The traders don’t have to worry over the smoking ban because I have been involved in the field for the past 18 years since 2001 and has seen an upward trend in the business of five to 10% each year,” he said in an interview during ‘Ruang Bicara’, a talk show programme on the Bernama News Channel, yesterday.
Earlier, a local daily reported that there were ‘mamak’ restaurants owners who claimed that their businesses were adversely affected as only a handful of customers enjoyed lunch at their premises and they did not stay as long, since the smoking was enforced from Jan 1.
Farook Hassan, who operates a ‘nasi kandar’ restaurant, said the situation was only temporary because most of the customers welcomed the implementation and would return to the food premises as usual.
Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association’s (Presma) president Ayoob Khan Muhamad Yaakub suggested that a designated space for smokers should be allowed to be established in food premises.
“We will like to set up a designated space for smoking. This is my suggestion,” he said when contacted during the programme.
Meanwhile, Kedah Health Department director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail said the Ministry of Health received 4,000 complaints over smoking at food premises as of Jan 6.
Dr Norhizan said the ministry’s move by using holistic education and information approach in the first six months of the smoking ban on food premises was desirable as it would enable the public to better understand the rules before the punitive action implemented. — Bernama
