Three consumer groups want enforcement officers from other government agencies to be roped in to enforce the ban on smoking in designated areas.

One way of achieving this is to expand the role of health inspectors from local councils and the police, said Consumer Association of Subang and Shah Alam president Jacob George

"There is a need for the government to make enforcement officials capable of multi-tasking and enforcing the rules in no-smoking zones. This model works in certain parts of the America and Europe," he said.

He was asked to comment on Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Lee Kah Choon's admission that enforcement of the smoking ban in public places was being hampered because of insufficient enforcement personnel.

According to a Bernama report yesterday, this has prevented the government from bringing additional areas under the no-smoking ban.

He was asked if Malaysia would emulate Singapore's extension of the smoking ban effective July 1 to hawker centres. The ban will be extended to bars, clubs and karaoke lounges in a year's time.

In Malaysia, the ban covers, among others, amusement centres such as snooker parlours, hospitals, air-conditioned eateries, public transport terminals, sports complexes, government premises and Parliament.

Jacob said that, without thinking of ways to beef up enforcement, the present Tak Nak (no-smoking) campaign would be a waste to implement at a whopping RM100 million over five years.

He added that it is important to safeguard public health in view of spiralling health costs and the global trend of enacting legislation to discourage smoking.

Consumer Association of Penang president SM Mohd Idris suggested that the government should increase its efforts towards inter-departmental co-operation to enforce the ban stringently.

He added that stiffer fines must imposed to deter smokers from breaching the ban on smoking. At present, Malaysians pay a compound fine of RM100, which is lower compared to Singapore's fine of S$200.

Federation of Consumer Association Malaysia president N Marimuthu said the ban could be better enforced if the onus were placed on the property owners.

"If the government were to fine them between RM5,000 to RM10,000, they would take the ban seriously," he said.

Problematic law?

Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control secretary-general Shaari Ahmad Junid questioned the effectiveness of the regulations on no-smoking zones.

"The law was made in such a way that it is very hard to enforce it. For example, the health department has to get the permission of the public prosecutor before an offender can be taken to court," he said in reference to the Control of Tobacco Products Regulations 2004.

He argued that, coupled with the relatively low fine, the time consuming process would render the regulation ineffective.

Shaari also dismissed Lee's claims that there were not enough enforcement officers, saying instead that officers were not making sufficient rounds of areas frequented by smokers who flout the law.

"If every health inspector spends just one or two hours a day to monitor the 'hotspots', then that would be enough," said Shaari.

However, local council health departments do not exercise the powers vested in them to enforce the smoking ban, he claimed.