No more padang sessions in Selangor or risk paying an RM1000 fine

For all you people who are all about that padang life and enjoy having an alcoholic beverage while speeding up the development of cancer cells, I have some bad news for you. Selangor has become the first state in Malaysia to ban smoking, drinking and vaping in parks and playgrounds with immediate effect.

If you’re thinking of risking it for the biscuit and flouting the rules, getting caught will cost you a cool RM1000 in fines, so maybe you know, just don’t. The unprecedented move will effectively put an end to the sight of old uncles sitting on a park bench catching up over an ice cold beer, which is kinda sad if you think about it.

It’s not just uncles too. People from a wide age range use parks as an alternative spot for catch ups over an alcoholic beverage, typically in the night time. Speaking to passers by outside our office on the announcement, most welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, while some expressed unhappiness at not being able to have the occasional drinking session at their nearby park.

Selangor local government, public transport and new village development committee chairman Ng Sze Han has encouraged members of the public to be the eyes and ears of local authorities when it comes to clamping down on these now banned activities.