Alcohol, smoking ban if majority wants it, says Suaram
By Boo Su-LynKUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — A human rights group today will support a ban on alcohol consumption or smoking should the majority of Malaysians favour it.
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) said, however, that the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for detention without trial, was exempt from public opinion.
“The right to drink and the right to smoke is not explicitly spelled out in the UDHR (United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights), but the right to fair trial is,” Suaram coordinator Hasbeemasputra Abu Bakar told The Malaysian Insider today.
In a statement sent last night, Hasbeemasputra said “the state has the responsibility to make laws that regulate society and has a duty to ensure the wellbeing of the people, and gazetting no-smoking zones helps to fulfil these two roles.”
When asked why Suaram now supported the smoking ban in Malacca but opposed the ISA, the human rights activist insisted that the ISA ran contrary to the UDHR.
Malaysia has not ratified the UN treaty, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, although it is required to uphold UDHR principles as a member of the UN.
The UDHR states human rights are accorded for “every individual” and not only for the majority of a population.
Suaram had initially said yesterday afternoon that the gazetting of entire districts in Malacca as no-smoking zones violated one’s right to smoke.
The NGO had also called the ban, which imposes a maximum RM5,000 fine on offenders caught smoking in five areas, including the Alor Gajah and Jasin districts, “ridiculous” and “very unreasonable”.
Hasbeemasputra said today, however, that Suaram will support such a ban on smoking and alcohol consumption “if the ban involved consultation with people on all levels.”
When asked if a minority were to disagree with the ban, he said: “There is a delicate balancing act between the rights of individuals and liberties of the government.”
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai recently declared five areas — Alor Gajah, Jasin, World Heritage City, Taman Melaka Raya and the Malacca International Trade Centre in Ayer Keroh — as smoke-free zones effective June 15.
He reportedly said that the smoke-free zone policy may be enforced nationwide if it was effective in Malacca.
Hasbeemasputra also said yesterday that Suaram was concerned about the enforcement of the anti-smoking policy in Malacca, but conceded today that the NGO had no jurisdiction to comment on such matters.
Source : Yahoo News
