My comment on the recent ban of smoking in hawker centres in Singapore

Well everyone has their rights. Smokers have a right to be able to choose to smoke. Non-smokers have a right to breathe air that is not polluted by exhaled smoke from smokers.

So who has the bigger right? That seems to be the argument on today's talkback show on 93.8FM.

To put things in perspective, smoking doesn't do any good to the smoker nor the non-smoker. In fact it is very harmful.

As such I support the recent ban on smoking in public areas like coffee shops and hawker centres. It is a law designed to safeguard the health of people.

So to smokers out there, if you can't smoke, because you simply can't find a place to smoke, it's actually good for you. Remember that.

On the other hand, to ask non-smokers to breathe in 2nd hand smoke that is detrimental to health is simply not advised.

As for the debate about whether Singapore should ban smoking across the island, I too feel that is a bit too drastic. However having said that, Singapore is a very small country, and you don' t have vast open spaces where there are few people around. So inevitably, when a smoker lights up, some non-smoker around him will breathe 2nd hand smoke. That's not good.

Just something for all to think about......if you have smoking sections in a restaurant or enclosed space, isn't that akin to having a peeing section in swimming pools?

Think about it.