00:00With smoking banned by law in eateries, it is only appropriate that restaurant operators
00:07stop selling cigarettes over the counter, says a Mamak chain restaurant owner.
00:13Ubayatullah Yunus, the owner of Klang Valley chain My Nasi Kandar, said it is difficult to advise
00:20patrons to adhere to the law if the restaurants themselves sell cigarettes, indirectly promoting
00:26smoking. He said since the anti-smoking law is already in effect, selling cigarettes serves no
00:33purpose given that customers are prohibited from smoking inside the restaurant. He was responding
00:39to a proposal by the Malaysian Indian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association which called for
00:45all Mamak restaurants to stop selling cigarettes. Another Mamak restaurant owner, Azrin Anwar Ali,
00:52said reminders to customers about the smoking ban would be more effective if the restaurants
00:58themselves walk the talk. He said if restaurants want to control smoking, they should stop selling
01:04cigarettes as customers would question why they are sold in the first place. Meanwhile, restaurant
01:11hakim owner Hakimsa Abdul Karim said he also sees it as his duty to discourage smoking among his
01:18Muslim customers as the habit is considered haram in Islam.
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