ST's Editor-at-Large Mr Han Fook Kwang called for a zero-tolerance approach to public hygiene in his opinion piece yesterday.

He wrote: "Every anti-social and irresponsible act visible to the public sends the signal that we are not serious about public hygiene and cleanliness, and this will lead to similar behaviour, elsewhere and everywhere.

When you adopt a zero-tolerance approach, the problem will look completely different, and the right solutions will eventually be found.

The pandemic was the moment to make this commitment."

Likewise, I would argue that when it comes to health, there can be no compromise, as we have only ONE life. So a zero-tolerance approach is needed to tackle the problem of neighbours' secondhand smoke, which kills one person in Singapore everyday (383 deaths in 2016).

It is obvious that education has run its course, and we are at the stage where stronger legislation for responsible smoking is needed, much like legislation against reckless drivers are put in place because they kill people on the road.

No one is taking away the smoker's right to smoke in his home. We, however, do need some legal constraints to ensure that smokers keep the smoke to themselves, much like factories need to obey environmental laws for pollution control.

If non-smokers collectively say "NO" to neighbours' secondhand smoke drift and seek legislative protection en masse, change will happen and our health will improve.

Please voice your concerns and seek legislative protection against secondhand smoke drift on MP Louis Ng's Facebook.