Khairy confident majority of MPs will support tobacco bill

PUTRAJAYA – Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin is confident the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 which will be tabled at Dewan Rakyat next month pending several amendments will be supported by the majority of MPs.

He said the bill is still being reviewed and studied by a parliamentary select committee and so far discussions are proceeding smoothly with committee members studying the proposed amendments.

“In principle, the majority of MPs agreed with the bill. In fact, in opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s letter to the prime minister, it was mentioned that Pakatan Harapan MPs, as a whole, supported the bill.

“It’s just that they asked for some amendments to be made so that enforcement powers are clarified, fines are clarified and so on. I believe that most of these issues have been resolved in the committee,” he told reporters during an interview on his one year of achievements as Health Minister.

On August 2, Dewan Rakyat agreed that the Tobacco Product and Smoking Control Bill 2022 be referred to a parliamentary select committee who will recommend improvements when the bill was in the second reading.

The bill, which among other things will prohibit the sale and use of any form of smoking material including electronic cigarettes or vaping to individuals born on January 1, 2007 onwards, was deemed to limit the freedom of choice by some MPs after it was tabled in July.

It also outlined provisions for the registration of tobacco products, smoking materials or tobacco substitute products, in addition to controlling their advertising, promotion, sponsorship, sales and purchases. 

Khairy said the select committee has met three times and he will bring the streamlined bill to its meeting next week to be approved.

In the meantime, Khairy said the bill was drafted to enable the control of all types of smoking products including electronic cigarettes which he found important given the high prevalence of electronic cigarettes use among children.

Asked how the Health Ministry (MoH) dealt with the people’s and industry’s interests regarding the importance of the bill, Khairy said MoH has given explanations to professional bodies and non-governmental organisations through a series of engagements on why electronic cigarettes need to be regulated, like tobacco products, and not fully banned as implemented in Thailand, Brunei and Singapore.

“The sales ban has been communicated to the industry and stakeholders through a series of engagements that have been carried out. What is clear, their business is not affected because they can still carry out transactions with controls under this bill to groups other than those born on January 1, 2007, onwards,” he said. – Bernama, September 22, 2022