FEB 25 — We appeal to the Government to take into consideration of our views on plain packaging.

Our views are:

1. All the cigarette packs will look the same and thus it makes it very difficult for our members, the retailers and customers to identify between the legal and illicit  cigarettes.

2. This will further worsen the illicit cigarette issue in the country where the illicit cigarettes are sold at between RM4.50 to RM5, compared to  a legal pack which cost almost three to four times  more.

3. All this while the Royal Malaysia Customs has been active and tries very hard to combat illicit cigarette activities through various campaigns such as “Ops Outlet” & “Ops Pacak”. We are afraid the plain packaging will jeopardise their efforts.

4. If there is plain packaging we are of the opinion that legal business will be losing out to illicit cigarettes because it is hard to differentiate the legal and illicit ones.

5. This proposal of plain packaging will make it very difficult for small businesses, it gives us unnecessary  operational challenges.

6. We the retailers will have to make sure that we are buying or carrying the legal stocks & we have to spend more time to serve our customers since all products will look the same

7. From what we understand from some of the retailers in Australia plain packaging does not work well there. It has great impact on the legal businesses and instead it increases illicit trade.

8. We are very thankful to the governmentfor all this while the government has been having dialogue and discussion and consultation with us, the small businesses/ our Association, on various industry issues, in the past and I hope the government will carry on to do so.

9. As it is we already facing a very tough time that is tough business environment/climate so we sincerely hope the government will continue to create a better business atmosphere for us small businesses to carry on our legal businesses by not imposing unnecessary regulations.

* Ho Su Mong is president of the Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.