MOH buckles under pressure on plain packaging for cigarettes
Government has caved-in to pressure from tobacco industry and lobby groups and completely ignored pro-health views.
By Charles Santiago
The Ministry of Health has made a spineless U-turn in the implementation of plain-packaging in the country.
On February 24, 2016, Director of its disease control division, Dr Chong Chee Keong, said: “Health Ministry plans to introduce generic packaging for tobacco products with the aim of reducing brand recognition and ultimately reducing overall consumption.”
The Ministry’s senior officer even went to the extent of suggesting that they would use standardised colours and fonts in stages, suggesting that they had an implementation plan and strategy for plain packaging.
Three months later, Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam, sings a different tune when responding to my question in Parliament requesting information on the enabling laws on plain packing and when it would be introduced in Parliament for debate.
He said that the Ministry has to undertake public consultation before implementing plain packaging.
This clearly shows the government has backed off from its original position and reversed the plain packaging policy itself – from a specific plan and strategy on implementation to public consultations.
It’s obvious that Subramaniam has buckled under pressure from the tobacco industry and lobby groups such as the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers (CMTM), Japan Tobacco International (JTI), Phillip Morris Malaysia (PMM) and the Asean Intellectual Property Organisation.
These groups have cautioned the government that introducing plain-packaging would violate international trade laws, undermine Malaysia’s business-friendly image besides leaving the country open to be sued at international arbitration tribunals.
And the government has caved-in under pressure from these groups and completely ignored pro-health views.
It is unacceptable that the Ministry of Health chooses to ignore the opinions of health groups and instead listen to business corporations when its duty is to protect public health.
This flip-flop decision is a major disservice to public health policy and strikes at the heart of public health policy-making in the country.
It is shameful that the Ministry can shirk its public responsibility in favour of profits.
The question that emerges now is whether public health polices will continue to be hijacked by big business interests at the expense of the rakyat
The Ministry and Subramaniam certainly owe Malaysians an explanation.
However, I call upon Subramaniam to implement plain packaging as a health measure so that we can welcome the World Health Organisation’s Tobacco Day with a plain packaging policy in Malaysia instead of pandering to the vested interests of tobacco giants.
Charles Santiago is Member of Parliament for Klang.
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