Just Ban Smoking!

"UAE approved warnings on cigarette packets with a graphic picture covering about half the packet...it also bans tobacco company from using 'smooth', 'silky' and 'light' or similar words to describe the product." - gulfnews today. click here for full report.

while i applaud UAE's effort in curbing the filthy smoking habit among its people, i can only snicker in sceptism at its effectiveness. tak jalan punya! this is not my way of belittling UAE's noble effort, but rather a scornful smirk towards the *incorrigible smokers.

*incorrigible : incapable of being corrected or reformed.

buat lah apa saja. rise the price of cigarette. put no-smoking signs. put pictures of blackened lungs on cigarette packs. have taknak campaign. ban tobacco advertisement on tv. create awesome no-smoking ads. under 18 cannot buy cigarette. cammon, tell me the truth - NONE is really working, right?

1. rising the price of cigarette - have you ever wondered why run-down flats in kl with owners who probably can't afford monthly insurance payment, managed to have astro satelite dishes mushrooming all over the building? same logic. mahal macam mana pun, orang yang tak berapa mampu pun will make it a priority, because they want to.


2. put no-smoking signs - i was there. at PWTC. there was a no-smoking sign. and this man still lit up a cigarette, without a care.


3. put ugly pictures of what harm rokok can do - smokers KNOW that smoking is harmful to them. they KNOW their health is affected. so pictures are just pictures. it's JUST the box. again, do they care? nope!

i'm sorry. it's just my sincere opinion. this is coming from someone who has lived with a smoker for her whole married life. and because of the same reason, i will tell you what REALLY works :

the ONLY way smoking can be deterred, or lessened, or eradicated totally - is to BAN SMOKING. the best example is our neighbour singapore. even as a non-smoker, i was surprised to see the long list of smoke-free places in singapore.

this includes so many, many places like carparks, playground, clubs and even hawker stalls! kat malaysia, hawker stall la tempat yang paling seronok nak merokok...

the best one was definitely 'no smoking within a 5 meters radius from ANY doorway. gile best. this means that even when you walk OUT of an air-conditioned, smoke free building, you need to make sure you're 5m away from the entrance before you light up a smoke, or else!

when we were in singapore last july, mr. khairul was restless as he searched for a place to smoke. it seemed like everywhere we go, it's a no-smoking zone. fantastic! whenever he felt like it might be okay to smoke, he was still cautious - can i? can't i? anyone watching? it was great to see him without smoking while we enjoy the holiday.

so you see, singapore makes it VERY DIFFICULT for anyone to smoke. also, singapore makes smokers feel like they've done something worse than armed robbery! as someone gets less and less chance to smoke each day, eventually they will come to their senses - hey, i CAN do without cigarette! it is possible. it can be done. i can slowly quit.

in this matter, i hope one day malaysia can emulate our neighbour, who is already famous for its squeaky clean image - ban smoking!