KUALA LUMPUR – Amendments to the Generational Endgame (GEG) tobacco bill have been made to tone down penalties following Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s meeting with parliamentary select committees (PSCs) that raised concerns about the bill.
The amendments include the reduction of fines from RM5,000 to RM500, and court-mandated community service as an option in lieu of a fine, Khairy said on Twitter this evening.
The bill has also done away with body searches for anyone under the age of 18.
Additionally, there will be no punishment imposed for possession for all GEG-related offences, he said.
Today, I met both The Parliamentary Select Committee on Women, Children and Social Development and @Kelvinyii88, Chair of the PSC on Health, Science and Innovation. They were productive meetings, and in the spirit of bipartisanship I agreed to amend the following; pic.twitter.com/9StYNxDUto
— Khairy Jamaluddin ??? (@Khairykj) August 1, 2022
These changes came about after meeting the PSC on women, children and social development, and health, science, and innovation.
“They were productive meetings, and in the spirit of bipartisanship I agreed to (the amendments).
“With these concessions, the majority of recommendations by both PSCs has been incorporated as amendments into the bill,” Khairy said.
The Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022, which will ban the sale and use of cigarettes and vapes to and by anyone born on or after January 1, 2007, is due for a second reading in Parliament this week.
Tabled for its first reading last week, the bill drew criticism for its penalties and wide-ranging powers given to enforcement officers, which included body searches and power to enter premises and conduct searches without a warrant. – Bernama, August 1, 2022
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