Dr Yii: Parliamentary select committee to hold proceedings to scrutinise Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill

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Dr Kelvin Yii — Photo via Facebook/Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen

KUCHING (April 6): The Special Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Science and Innovation will initiate a series of proceedings starting tomorrow to review and scrutinise the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill, said the committee chairman and Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.

Dr Yii said the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill that the government intends to table in Parliament in the middle of this year, will include a ‘generation end game’, aiming at prohibiting the sale of cigarettes, tobacco and vape products to anyone born after 2005.

“These proceedings are important in order for the committee to review the wordings of the Bill as well as its proposed implementation, while taking into account the different views and input from all relevant stakeholders, including those from tobacco and vape industry and the civil society,” he said in a statement today.

Dr Yii said the proceedings will start with an initial briefing by the Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on the Bill itself to enable the committee to examine the government’s intention, draft of the Bill, implementation and enforcement plans, and the feasibility of the ‘generation end game’ in the context of Malaysia.

To ensure the discussion is robust and substantive, based on the authority vested to the committee under the Parliamentary Standing Order, Dr Yii said they have appointed an external expert panel to advise the committee on the matter.

The expert panel consists of Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control 2018-2022 president and chairman of Action on Smoking chairman and Health Committee Malaysian Medical Association 2013 to 2022 Prof Datuk Dr Lekhraj Rampal, consultant respiratory physician and technical advisor to Ministry of Health on tobacco control Dr Helmy Haja Mydin and president of MyWatch and Malaysian Women’s Action on Tobacco Control and Health Roslizawati Md Ali.

Others included chief coordinator for University Malaya Centre of Addiction Sciences (Pro-Tobacco Control) Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin, president of Addiction Medicine Association of Malaysia Dr Steven Chow, Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association president Wong Teu Hoon and Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib.

Dr Yii said the Health Ministry has expressed its intention that the proposed generational smoking ban is the next step towards reducing cancer cases and improving cancer treatment access in the country.

“Tobacco is reportedly responsible for about a fifth of cancer cases in Malaysia, with the annual cost of treating lung cancer from smoking estimated at RM132.7 million.”

Dr Yii pointed out that while the committee understands the importance of this Bill on the public health sense, it must be reviewed and analysed from a holistic view to review its impact not just in terms of public health, but also the economy and social behaviour.

“This is to ensure its feasibility, proper implementation and also if there are better alternatives especially to better regulate or reduce harm rather than an outright ban when it comes to the ‘generation end game’.

“All these must be reviewed also in the context of the high incidence of illicit cigarettes reportedly up to 63.8 per cent in 2020 and 57.3 per cent in 2021.

“That means more than half of cigarettes in the market are illicit and (by) having a policy that bans the sale of it to the youth, will it push the industry underground where our youth obtain illegal cigarettes whose ingredients are not properly regulated and are harmful?”

Dr Yii said that is why the committee is initiating such proceedings to get a substantive discussion on the matter involving the different stakeholders and to release our recommendations and possible solutions to the government.

“This is a proper process and this way, our Parliament will become a working institution that plays a constructive role in the governance of the country.”

He said the committee can be a channel for open dialogue on national policy matters, as well as to get bi-partisan inputs and buy-ins.

“This is to ensure that legislation coming out from Parliament is substantive and covers all necessary perspective and possible loopholes to ensure it is not abused,” he added.