Sarawak MPs voice out need to study provisions in Smoking Ban Bill

The proposed Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill contains provisions on prohibiting sales of cigarettes, tobacco and vape products to anyone born after 2005. — AFP photo

KUCHING (July 25): There is a need to look into the provisions in the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill, which was approved by the Cabinet earlier this month.

This was the response from the Sarawak parliamentarians who were asked by The Borneo Post in a survey that was conducted yesterday.

Puncak Borneo MP Datuk Willie Mongin said it was vital for a study to be conducted on the Bill before he could support it.

“There is need to study the details of the Bill first. Other than that, no comments for now,” said Willie, who is the federal Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, when contacted yesterday.

Expressing similar sentiments, Lubok Antu MP Jugah Muyang said he must know exactly the content of the Bill before he could voice out his support.

“I would not support anything that I do not fully understand; I would have to wait for it to be presented in Parliament first.

“We, the MPs, must be briefed about it first.”

Meanwhile, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said in view of him heading The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Health, the committee would seek an audience with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to present their recommendations for the Bill.

“This is because the committee wants to ensure that certain concerns would be addressed, especially on implementation gaps and the possible unintended consequences of this law.

“After that, I will make those recommendations public, including being open to explain the thinking behind it,” said Dr Yii.

The proposed Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill contains provisions on prohibiting sales of cigarettes, tobacco and vape products to anyone born after 2005.

In a recent statement, Khairy said once passed, the law would make Malaysia the first country in the world to enact ‘a generational end-game legislation’, with the aim of not only limiting the future generation’s exposure to smoking and tobacco products, but also reducing cancer cases in the country.

It is informed that tobacco use is the leading cause of cancer, contributing to 22 per cent of deaths due to cancer.

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