Minister: Smoking Will be Banned in All Hawker Centres

By
Boon Hun
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As of Dec 2020, 87 out of 114 hawker centres are smoke-free.

And if the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment (MSE) has anything to say about it, all 114 hawker centres in Singapore will be smoke-free too.

Minister: Smoking Will be Banned in All Hawker Centres

Since 2015, MSE requires all newly-built and renovated hawker centres to be smoke-free, which means there’ll be no smoking corners.

Now, there are only 27 hawker centres with smoking corners and the National Environment Agency (NEA) is working to get hawker associations to remove smoking corners as the hawker centres progressively get renovated or repaired.

Incentives were also rolled out, such as 90% funding for the Toilet Improvement Programme (TIP) if smoking corners were removed.

Now you know why smoking corners at your favourite coffee shops are disappearing, eh?

Minister Grace Fu of MSE urges all MPs to apply for TIP so that toilets can be upgraded while smoking corners are removed.

This will allow people to enjoy their meals without enduring secondhand smoke.

How About Homes?

Secondhand smoke isn’t just a problem at eating places but at homes as well.

Nee Soon MP Louis Ng has been fighting to get the authorities to ban smoking within homes.

He’d even compared it to the law which bans people from appearing naked, even within their own homes, as long as they’re in view of the public.

“Being naked in your own home doesn’t kill your neighbour but second-hand smoke could.”

Minister Fu, however, disagree with the comparison between the two.

The frequency between smoking and flashing within their own homes differ, she pointed out. In addition, the nature of the act differs as well, she added.

For flashing, people see the act and they’re able to pinpoint the culprit and report accurately to authorities.

For smoking, however, people smell cigarette smoke instead, and couldn’t see nor accurately pinpoint where the smoker was at.

To impose the fine, the authorities have to prove the act of smoking, and it would be intrusive, not just to the smoker in action, but his or her neighbours as well when they go about collecting evidence or tracking down the culprit.

She concluded that a ban isn’t the ideal solution but assured that her ministry is still focused on the problem of secondhand smoke by encouraging conversations between neighbours and the idea of practising greater social responsibility.

It was added that smoking is now banned at over 32,000 locations in Singapore, including the entire stretch of Orchard Road.

Smoking Ban At Windows And Balconies

On 5 Oct 2020, Nee Soon MP Louis Ng asked for a smoking ban.

He did not mean to ban it completely, but just at windows and balconies of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats and private apartment.

Mr Ng’s reason was that many residents have complained about their neighbours smoking at said windows and balconies and the second-hand smoke drifting into their homes.

Then, the suggestion wasn’t picked up because of the same reasons.

Instead, it was mentioned that the relevant agencies will tackle the problem in a different way, including:

  • Engendering greater social responsibility
  • Examining more ways to facilitate productive conversations between neighbours to deal with difficult situations
  • Working with agencies to study how these disputes can be better addressed

Feature Imaged: Doucefleur / Shutterstock.com

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Boon Hun
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