The GRTU has been saying all along that, in breach of the agreement that had been reached with the Minister, the third version of the Smoking in Public Places Regulations in effect prohibited smoking everywhere except in designated smoking rooms. Ministry spokesmen, on the other hand, persisted in trying to give the impression that smaller bars could leave things as they were for the time being.

The net result was that confusion reigned in the market, with some bar owners saying that they were not yet affected by the ban and others holding that they were. Such was the confusion created by the ministry’s apparent inability to get the regulations right even after three attempts that the GRTU was forced to ask the Attorney-General to confirm its interpretation of the law.

This has turned out to be an unnecessary exercise, as no less an authority than the Health Minister himself has confirmed the GRTU’s interpretation.

Now that Dr Deguara, according to the GRTU, has declared himself as the legal authority qualified to interpret this confusing bit of legislation, GRTU expects the same minister to tell owners of bars, coffee shops, canteens, snack bars, clubs, restaurants and places of entertainment what they should do to ensure that smoking takes place in smoking rooms. GRTU’s legal advisers have already informed owners what to do. The ministry’s spokesman has however issued contradictory statements, GRTU claimed.

It is now up to the minister to say whether he expects owners to forcibly eject people. Or whether he is expecting them to employ specially trained bouncers to evict smoking clients.