Local Government and Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said her ministry's move to set up smoking areas is to support the Health Ministry's ban on smoking at eateries.
She also stressed that there are different interest groups - smokers and non-smokers - and their needs should be considered.
Zuraida said this in response to the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and other medical organisations' criticism of her for funding the setting up of "smoking huts".
"There is one sector that wants to take care of health and another sector that wants to smoke.
"We should empathise (menyantuni) with smokers and provide them with the facilities - a place to smoke," she told journalists after visiting a public housing project for civil servants in Kota Bharu today.
Zuraida previously urged eateries to provide smoking areas for smokers to accommodate the smoking ban at eateries.
"It is to support the Health Ministry's policy," she said.
On Thursday, the MMA criticised Zuraida's move.
“We should not in any way encourage the habit of smoking. The rise in health issues and deaths associated with smoking in the country is worrying and the Health Ministry should be applauded and supported for its efforts to discourage the habit of smoking among the rakyat.
“We should not also be encouraging restaurants and eateries to build smoking huts even if it is at their own expense,” said MMA president Dr N Ganabaskaran. - Mkini
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