SANDAKAN: The Sandakan District Health Office (PKK) conducted an inspection of a business premises on July 2 and issued a compound offer for an offence under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024.
The compound was issued following the premises’ failure to display a mandatory no-smoking sign as stipulated under the Act.
However, State MCA treasurer, Datuk Chin Kim Hiung, has appealed to the Health Department to consider a more customer-friendly approach in enforcing this regulation.
He suggested that for first-time offences—where a premises is found without the no-smoking sign during an initial inspection—the authorities should issue a warning first rather than immediately serving a compound notice.
“I urge the Health Department to adopt a customer-friendly approach. If a premises is found without the sign during the first inspection, issue a warning, and only if they refuse to comply should a compound notice be issued,” he said.
Chin added that there are still some traders who are uncertain whether their premises are required to display the no-smoking sign. As such, he appealed to the authorities to take this lack of awareness into consideration, particularly for first-time offences.
“We understand that the purpose of this Act is for public health, but we also need to give traders the leeway to understand and comply with the regulations,” he added.
A compound of RM250 at a time when the economy is slow can have a significant impact on businesses. – James Leong
Chin added that there are still some traders who are uncertain whether their premises are required to display the no-smoking sign.
