Support the generational end game Bill

THE Malaysian Health Coalition (MHC) supports the Health Ministry’s proposed Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill, which contains provisions to prohibit the sale of tobacco and vape products to those born in 2005 and later. This move, touted as the “generational end game” (GEG), will hopefully prevent the use of tobacco and vape products for those born after 2005.

We suggest the following:

> Manage public opinion carefully – The Health Ministry must convey appropriate information regarding this Bill to the rakyat. Besides properly communicating the public health benefits, the ministry must also address concerns to set the record straight and to avoid misunderstandings.

For example, concerns have been raised regarding the GEG’s impact on retailers. This can be easily rebutted by the fact that the Bill does not ban the sale of tobacco and vape products immediately. In fact, this move is said to be beneficial to low income earners.

The Health Ministry must carefully manage public opinion and actively engage relevant parties such as NGOs to empower the public to choose communal health over temporary individual pleasure.

> Enforce and coordinate effectively – After the smoking ban at all food and beverage outlets in 2020 was enacted, there was a period when people obeyed the ban. However, smokers were present in large numbers in eateries in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19-triggered movement control order.

Strict enforcement must be consistent for the GEG Bill to be successful. The government must clearly lay out the enforcement steps and communicate properly so that the public is aware of them.

Proper enforcement will also address the allegation that the GEG will increase trade in illicit cigarettes. This can be done via inter-ministerial cooperation – for example, the Health Ministry should work with the Customs Department under the Finance and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs ministries to coordinate efforts in combating the sale of illegal tobacco products.

> Make tough decisions for the future generations – The 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey provided us with data on the smoking behaviour in teenagers, whereby 11.6% were cigarette smokers, 7.5% were ecigarette users, and overall, 15.6% of all teenagers aged 15 to 19 were using a tobacco product.

This is alarming because we know the harmful implications tobacco products have for the health of our population. If enacted, the Bill will protect those born after 2005 from the harm of tobacco and smoking products.

The government must demonstrate the same strong political will demonstrated when it imposed Covid-19 restrictions when weighing personal liberties and public health to ensure long-term health benefits for the rakyat. It is no doubt a challenging proposal to make, but we must do it for the sake of our children.

The MHC calls upon all members of Parliament across the political divide to support the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill, and the rakyat to support the government in implementing this historic move to protect future generations.

MALAYSIAN HEALTH COALITION

This letter was endorsed by 53 medical and healthcare-related groups and 21 individual healthcare professionals. The full signature list is available at myhealthcoalition.org