KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry is hoping that members of parliament (MP) will vote in favour of the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill after it goes through the second and third reading at the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali urged parliamentarians to give their support for the bill, also known as tobacco generational endgame law, as it was aimed at safeguarding people's lives.
"This is a long-awaited bill and we are doing this because we want to control the use of tobacco and vape products. All this time, tobacco was regulated under the Food Act 1983.
"I hope everyone will give their support, including MPs who will take part in the debate and subsequently vote. All we want to do is protect the health of Malaysians," he said today.
Noor Azmi, who is Bagan Serai MP, was speaking after officiating the three-day Congress of Society of Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeons of Malaysia here today.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, on June 27, tabled the law's first reading.
Aimed at ending the smoking habit, the law will apply to those born in 2007 onwards and not 2005 as initially proposed.
The second reading (debate) and the third reading will be done during the current Parliament sitting.
If passed, Malaysia will not only ban smoking but also prohibit the ownership of tobacco and vape products by those born after 2007.