Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) president Dr Molly Cheah said cigarettes were “still cheap” in Malaysia compared with other countries.

“The World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control recommends that there should be at least a 70% excise tax share in the final price of cigarettes, and we are nowhere near that,” she said.

As such, she said, Malaysians could still easily afford cigarettes at their level of income.

Strict regulations and enforcement were also important to curb the smoking culture and illicit tobacco trade.

She was commenting on a video posted on YouTube by Australian filmmaker and commentator Topher Field urging his government to consider whether its imposition of high taxes was actually effective in curbing smoking.

He claimed that the “sin tax” on alcohol and cigarettes, although increased yearly, was neutralised by the high number of illegal tobacco smugglers Down Under.

Dr Cheah disagreed, saying imposing high duties was one way of stopping smokers from lighting up.

She said there had been numerous calls for cigarette retailers to be registered and licensed so that the government had a clear picture of the number of tobacco dealers in the country.

“We do not have the number of sellers currently. But with registration, the authorities would be able to track down those who are selling illegally.”

The Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers estimates that the illegal cigarette trade cost the government RM4 billion in duties last year.

Dr Cheah said MCTC had, in the last three years, repeatedly called for the walkways in the city centre to be declared smoke-free zones but the calls had fallen on deaf ears.

As for areas that had been designated non-smoking, Dr Cheah asked: “Where is the enforcement?”

“Signs are put up to tell people they cannot smoke. Yet no one is there to enforce it by issuing a summons to the smokers who break the law.

“It would seem that the government does not have the political will to take care of the people’s health.”