Kick smokers out of public places!

Good Republicans, there are some quick signs about a society’s sense of laid-back approach in dealing with rot.

Here in Malawi, one such sign is the impudence of some smokers to do their thing in public places, with no consideration for others around them.

Republicans, some smokers are busy puffing us to bad health and we need to pull their wagons to a halt before they smoke us to the grave!

Be unfortunate to one day find yourself at a football match, live band show, poetry recital or a drama gala, and see how people witlessly light up, and sometimes even blow the chuff your way, with little to ring in their minds that not everyone is a fan of the cigarette.

Is it the non smoker’s fault finding themselves at such public places? Is it the case of the common law principle of ‘volenti non fit injuria,’ meaning ‘to one willing to be injured, injury is not done?’

I used to have a relation who slowly smoked his way to bad health. But at least one ‘lesser evil’ about his habit was he never smoked indoors or among other people. He always made sure he kept the cigarette and its associated nuisances away from others.

When the call of his habit rang in him, he used to excuse himself from the circle to hasten to a distance. There he would smoke to his climax, seemingly riding on the fumes to some imaginary blissful world where a cigarette would open doors to untold treasure and wit.

At that height of things, in that land, he would contort his lips into a pipe good enough to let out a long, liberal spiral of smoke. It gave him a stupid look, but we didn’t care. The ruin was all his.

I have no problems with people like him poisoning their own wells, so I find no reason to shoot dead on the spot someone smoking in their seclusion.

But what hacks my nerve is to see public places turn into smoking contests.

Can the law please protect us from this public nuisance! We dont want it in entertainment places.