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| Source: Borneo Post | If we don't allow smokers in coffee shops where can we get our smoke ribs?!? |
I'm not a smoker. Ok, I do admit I'm a social smoker and I don't buy my own ciggs. Alright once every few months I'll buy a pack as my ultimate vice. French fries has more power over me.
But it does not mean that I agree in total with the Federal Government's plan to ban smoking in smoking eateries. In an ideal world, we wouldn't need cigarettes, sugar, or alcohol to calm ourselves.
In world of automatons and Sims, complying with the Federal Government, one Sim dared to defy them all; Dr Sim, the Minister of Local Authority & Housing for Sarawak.
Despite him being a doctor, his opposition to the ban isn't based on some crackpot pseudoscience that smoking doesn't harm you. Instead it comes from a principle standpoint on autonomy.
Eateries are considered to be coffeeshops and they are governed under local ordinances. For the federal wide ban to be implemented, it needs to be adopted by Sarawak first.
To me, this argument makes sense as an exercise of autonomy. You can't have some federal government across the ocean determine the lives of small business owners that doesn't really impact people on a large scale. The issue isn't smoking but is to what extent can the government control our lives, especially one that is alienated one or two levels above us. It feels like an impersonal act that only exudes control rather one that is following what the people want. It disregards local nuances on how they approach various topics.
But before you say that I sound like a pro small business American Republican here, here me out.
Autonomy-Schmotonomy
The irony here is that despite me agreeing with Dr Sim flexing his autonomy muscles, I can't help thinking of him being suspicious. I have no idea if the man really does believe in autonomy and with him being in the party that enabled one of the biggest kleptocracy in recent years, I am right to feel suspicious.
When Dr Mahathir said that he was against the idea of local elections, at least it doesn't run as antithesis to his already authoritarian slant. But Dr Sim as the Minister of Local Government and Housing who keeps spouting autonomy he needs to assure as that he is keeping true to his word. Where was he when Mahathir was against local elections. If he cares so much about autonomy, why didn't he speak about direct democracy and let people choose their mayors.
I've always found it weird that Kuching and Miri had DAP leaning voters yet their mayors are ideological opposites and servants to another party. Now of course these appointments are meant to be apolitical but you know where their allegiance lie.
So my question to Dr Sim here as I agree with his Braveheart like opposition to the waves of Health Officers awaiting command from the Federal Government is; is your opposition an exercise of freedom or an exercise to be free from being dominated by a party you ran in opposition to?
Where was this talk of autonomy when we had a kleptocrat in government? Do you dare to give up your power and let us have direct democracy, local elections, and let us run our city councils?
Are you doing this because of the person helming Putrajaya now is from a different party? And if they were to share the same values as you, would you still speak up for autonomy? Or are you going to be another Sim, living in your Sim-City controlled by a sadistic player who is happy to send in storms and kaijus to destroy everything after their tired of playing the game. (Yes. I'm abusing the Sim-City reference here.)
Let's talk about it at a coffee shop about our autonomy here will you? Heck, we can even have a smoke, else your legacy will go up in smoke.
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