Some varsities are already smoke-free zones
KUALA LUMPUR: Several public universities have a smoking ban in place, well ahead of the government’s plan to designate campuses as smoke-free zones.
Checks showed that students, lecturers and visitors alike generally took heed of the ban.
Noor Hafiza Hassan, who works at the Putra Food Court in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), said people abided by the smoking ban at the university.
“I have been working here since August and have not seen a student, or even a visitor, smoking in the vicinity of the cafeteria.”
Checks at UPM and Universiti Malaya (UM) revealed that smoking was banned for quite some time now.
UM Student Council president Mohamed Ali Mohamed Shafiee said the ban included on-campus student housing.
“I have not seen anyone smoking. Everyone abides by the rules.
“I support the proposed ban on smoking in all campuses.”
Ali’s counterpart at UPM, Muhammad Izzuddin Rosli, shared his sentiment.
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) approves of the government’s plan.
The UiTM corporate communications division said four of its campuses — in Perlis, Kedah, Melaka and Pahang — had been awarded Blue Ribbons by the Malaysian Health Promotion Board.
“The Blue Ribbon campaign was introduced to acknowledge organisations that have contributed towards protecting the public from the dangers of cigarette smoke by advocating smoke-free areas.”