Lighting up the public smoking ban

WHAT’S happened to Namibia’s proposed law to ban smoking in public places?
Well, according to the Ministry of Health, the initiator of the proposed legislation, the Tobacco Control Bill is with the Ministry of Justice.

‘We have just finalised the envisaged Tobacco Bill and handed it to the Ministry of Justice to go through it before it can be submitted to Parliament for discussion,’ says Dr Bashupi Maloboka, Chief of Health Programmes at the Health Ministry.Not so, says the Ministry of Justice, it’s with the Ministry of Health.Sixteen years and counting and still the proposed law seems to be just so much smoke. But while the bill seems to be smoldering in the ashtray of bureaucracry, others are now clamouring for the law to be passed and enforced – hopefully before the decade burns out. ‘We need the law to enforce strict rules on smoking in public places because it really causes great unhappiness,’ says Reinette Koegelenberg, CEO of the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN). ‘When a person drinks and drives, that person pays for their offence alone, but when a person smokes, she exposes everyone around her to possible illness and they just get away with it. That’s the reason why we need a law urgently. Smoke is killing people.’ CAN would definitely like to see the bill become law sooner rather than later.HUFFERS … In the meantime, while the bill remains unlit and activists all lit up, the huffers and puffers, the public, have drawn their lines in the ash. Words like ‘inconsiderate’ and ‘disrespect’ and ‘unhygienic’ are freely being flicked around and away like used match sticks. On the other hand, others feel they’re ‘discriminated’ against. Irate non-smokers say that apart from smoking in public being a health hazard, it’s also disgusting and disrespectful to others. Monica Mangundu, a Nedbank employee, says people who smoke in public places are inconsiderate and need to be reminded that not everyone likes the smell of cigarettes.’It’s disturbing to say the least. People who smoke in the presence of children expose them from a very young age which can have implications on these children when they grow up,’ says Mangundu. ‘It must be banned from public places. People should be allowed to smoke only in the privacy of their own homes because with them smoking publicly, they are polluting other people’s lungs,’ adds Errol Tjikune. Andrew Nyati, a barman at a city centre bar, says he would welcome the Bill with an open heart and cannot wait for it to come into force. ‘For non-smokers like myself, I believe that putting a stop to public smoking is a good idea. It’s not pleasant to be exposed to smoke while you don’t even smoke. It’s not fair that I should suffer the consequences of a smoker while I don’t smoke,’ he says.He adds though that a ban will probably affect the bar’s business. ‘The unfortunate side of the ban is that it will affect our clientele,’ he says. … AND PUFFERS Although to what extent a ban on smoking in public will impact on the business of clubs and bars remains as murky as a smoke-filled room, bar and restaurant owners are one in saying they will be affected, and negatively. ‘We are a restaurant and this is very bad for us as a business. This change will affect our turnover to a certain extent. Besides, when people go to a restaurant, they want to relax, they can’t be told not to smoke,’ says Leezandra Terblanche, Manager of The Gourmet Restaurant, while dragging deeply on her cigarette. ‘Sure, it will benefit smokers health wise, but remember a restaurant wants to give the best service to customers,’ she says exhaling a thick plume of white smoke.’I’m a smoker and I think it’s terrible. It’s your decision as an adult. If you can afford cigarettes and you want to smoke then you should be allowed to do so freely,’ says Mariska, a bar owner who did not want her surname mentioned. ‘Smoking is a personal choice. We own a lounge bar and business wise it’s not fair on us. We are going to loose clientele. It’s very unfair.’And the management of Club Obsessionz, in Windhoek, simply stated: ‘The ban will definitely affect our profit margin and will reduce sales.’Burning arguments aside, Namibia wouldn’t be the first country to ban smoking and judging by the experience of others, smoking, while initially negatively impacting on business, over the longer term it does seem to balance out. However, with the Tobacco Control Bill languishing somewhere in a void between ministries, it might just all be the blowing of smoke rings at the moment. And in the words of CAN’s Reinette Koegelenberg, ‘the ban will be difficult at the beginning but people will soon get used to it. People adapt very quickly.’ selma@namibian.com.na