Mamak eatery owners say cigarette sales pointless due to smoking ban

PETALING JAYA: Several mamak eatery owners have expressed their support for the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association’s (Presma) proposal to stop selling cigarettes in eateries in line with the smoking ban implemented in 2019.

According to the association’s president Datuk Jawahar Ali Taib Khan, 40% of the 12,000 eateries under Presma have reportedly halted sales of tobacco products.

Mamak eatery chain owner Ubayathullah Yunus supported the association’s statement, pointing out how difficult it is to remind diners to adhere to the smoking ban if eateries sell cigarettes, indirectly promoting smoking, Free Malaysia Today reported.

He stopped selling cigarettes in his six mamak restaurant branches after the ban was implemented in 2019.

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“Selling cigarettes is not profitable anyway. Last time, I could get around RM500 in sales a day, but only a profit margin of 20%. The profits could be lower if the employees steal or customers don’t pay. So now I have, less of a headache,” Ubayathullah was quoted as saying.

Ubayathullah added that mamak restaurants not selling cigarettes make it easier for them to explain to the authorities that smokers did not buy these products from them.

Meanwhile, another mamak eatery owner Azrin Anver Ali said that restaurants setting an example of not selling cigarettes will serve as a more effective reminder to patrons not to smoke in these premises.

“If we want to control smoking in restaurants and remind customers about the ban, we have to stop selling cigarettes first. Otherwise, they would question why we sell cigarettes in the first place,” he was quoted as saying.

Azrin ceased the sales of cigarettes in the five restaurants he runs in the Klang Valley and has encouraged others to do the same in a bid to promote the smoking ban.

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Another mamak restaurant owner Hakimsa Abdul Karim also shared similar sentiments, saying he takes it upon himself to discourage smoking among Muslim customers as the act is considered haram in Islam.

“The religion says it’s wrong, which is also one of the reasons I stopped selling cigarettes in my premises, so I have no problem supporting the proposal,” Hakim explained.