KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — The Malaysian Health Coalition (MHC) expressed its disappointment with the unity government after it postponed the Second Reading of the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill to a later date.
MHC in a statement said that it could not accept the reasons given by the government for delaying the presentation process of this Bill, which should have taken place on October 10.
“We consider this delay as a betrayal to the health of Malaysians,” the group said adding that parliamentarians concerned with tobacco control issues must speak up and object to the delay.
“We call on them to urge the government to respect the people's right to a healthy and smoke-free life. We also call on them to demonstrate their commitment to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which Malaysia has ratified."
MHC consists of more than 70 organisations and individuals who represent the health sector in Malaysia.
On October 9, the Health Ministry announced the delay in the second reading of the Bill to make way for other government business arrangements listed in the Parliament Order Paper.
In June, the Bill was sent back to a parliamentary special select committee (PSSC) for further review shortly after it was tabled for its first reading in Parliament.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa then said the decision was made as there were several recommendations proposed at the engagement sessions held in the previous weeks at the time with government and non-governmental stakeholders that needed further consideration.
The Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill, which includes the Generational End Game (GEG) policy, was previously tabled last August by Dr Zaliha’s predecessor, Khairy Jamaluddin.
MHC said that the Bill is an important measure to combat the issue of smoking and vaping in Malaysia which not only affects people's health but also the country’s economy, society and environment.
“We are very concerned with the current situation which shows that smoking and vaping is still a serious public health problem in Malaysia, especially among teenagers and young adults.
“According to data from WHO, about 20,000 people die every year from tobacco-related diseases in Malaysia. The percentage of smokers in Malaysia is 22.5 per cent, while the smoking rate among teenagers is 18 per cent.
"The use of vaping has also increased among this group, with approximately 15 per cent of teenagers admitting to using alternative nicotine products such as electronic cigarettes or vaping,” it added.
