KUALA LUMPUR: The Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 has been referred to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) for Health for further fine tuning.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa told the Lower House on Monday (June 12) that this was important to ensure check-and-balance.
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This was done after the bill was tabled for the first reading.
While tabling the motion to refer the Bill to the PSSC, Dr Zaliha said that this is to allow the committee to make the necessary recommendations to further fine-tune the laws for the GEG.
“The Bill was tabled to Cabinet and received approval to be tabled in Parliament,” she said.
“The first reading of the Bill shows that the government is committed to implement it,” she added.
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The Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill which was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat last year by then-Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was also referred to the PSSC for Health for fine-tuning due to resistance from several lawmakers over the provisions.
The revised Bill tabled on Monday retains the over 20 recommendations put forward by the PSSC.
Dr Zaliha told the House that based on engagements with the PSSC, lawmakers, professionals and civil society groups, there have been requests for the provisions to be further refined.
“Hence, it is important to receive unanimous support for the Bill from all parties,” the Sekijang MP said.
“Therefore, the ministry had proposed for the Bill to be referred to the PSSC for further fine-tuning as the committee provides a check-and-balance mechanism and takes into account the views of all parties,” she added.
Dr Zaliha said that her ministry will be committed to see that the implementation of the GEG becomes a reality.
The Bill - which includes the Generational End Game (GEG) provision - seeks to regulate the sale, purchase and consumption of cigarettes and other smoking products among those born in 2007 and later.
However, the aspects related to possession which were in the previous anti-smoking Bill have been dropped; the maximum fine for those flouting the law will be maintained at RM500 and no body searches will be conducted on the GEG generation.
Aside from that, the community service element will also be maintained.
Under the Bill, the enforcement in relation to the registration, advertising, packaging, sale and use of conventional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco and rolled cigarettes will be enforced for the GEG generation once the Bill is passed.
Meanwhile, any enforcement on laws regarding the sale, purchase and use of products which use smoking devices, such as vapes, liquid nicotine and others by the GEG generation will come into force at a later date.
