KUCHING: A number of smokers carried on with their habit at eateries here after Sarawak deferred the smoking ban despite an earlier Health Ministry statement that the state was supportive of it. The federal government’s smoking ban came into force at all eateries yesterday. However, Sarawak has put off implementing the ban until it adopts the policy under its own Local Government Ordinance. Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii took Dr Sim to task for putting off the ban, saying that doing so based on the state’s autonomy was disappointing. Recently, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Jaujan Sambakong and state Health and Wellbeing Minister Datuk Stephen Wong said the ban had yet to be enforced in Sabah due to state legislation.

Source: The Star January 01, 2019 23:11 UTC