THE Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) and anti-tobacco advocates in the country were strengthened by the prime minister’s clear policy direction for Malaysia as outlined in the publication “Membangun Negara Madani: Visi dan Kerangka Dasar Reformasi” by the Institut Darul Ehsan and the Centre for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies.

Anwar Ibrahim stressed in the section on Institutional Empowerment (p157-161) that legislation will be brought to parliament to reduce health risks such as the use of tobacco products. This commitment from the highest levels of government to tobacco control is a clear sign of the positive efforts taken in terms of health for all Malaysians. 

However, the action of some officials within the Health Ministry (MOH) tasked with efforts of safeguarding the health of our citizens, has been worrying to say the least. In recent days, two senior officials, both section heads within the disease control division, were seen meeting with tobacco product industry officials. A social media post of with pictures of these meetings was tagged as “meeting for future collaboration”. 

Worse, after this was highlighted in certain social media channels, efforts were taken to alter or delete photos pertaining to this, a clear signal of attempting to hide these meetings. It would seem that not only are these officials actively undermining the message and commitment of the prime minister and government, but they may also be working to actively subvert tobacco control measures, in direct violation of their ethics and principles as practising physicians as well as their official duties as officers within the MOH. 

Questions may arise on why is it such a grave issue for MOH officials to meet with tobacco product industry officials? The reason for this is simple: It is a gross violation of the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), the international treaty of which Malaysia is a signatory. 

Article 5.3 of the FCTC specifically details measures for the protection of public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. In the Guidelines for Implementation of Article 5.3, clear accountability of the treaty in terms of all parties involved is clearly spelt out. Among the eight recommendations in the framework for article 5.3 are that: 

i) Measures be established to limit interactions with the tobacco industry and ensure the transparency of those interactions that occur;

ii) Partnerships and non-binding or non-enforceable agreements with the tobacco industry should be avoided;

iii) Avoidance of conflicts of interest for government officials and employees. 

It is the clear understanding of all parties involved in tobacco control that the FCTC unit within MOH is the only unit whose officers are tasked to have any sort of interaction with tobacco industry; and that too in an official capacity in terms of regulating tobacco control. The meeting of these two officials, who are not with FCTC and have no legal or official standing with tobacco control measures, with tobacco product industry officials sends a worrying signal as to their purpose. 

Further, the recommendation that any interactions with tobacco industry should occur in a transparent manner with interactions or documentations of interactions available to the public was clearly violated when efforts were taken to delete the photo evidence that such an interaction(s) had even taken place. 

The tag on future collaborations is also concerning as it may indicate some sort of partnership being formed – another violation of article 5.3. 

These efforts may also be tied to some sort of monetary reward or compensation, a further violation of article 5.3 in terms of avoidance of conflict of interest; and even more worryingly be connected to corrupt practices – which our government is trying its best to control and curb. 

The MCTC, as the umbrella body for tobacco control, is deeply concerned about these signals being sent by these meetings, especially involving senior MOH officials and tobacco product industry officials. 

The MCTC calls for an immediate investigation into this issue by top MOH leaders and for transparency in the results of these investigations once completed. If found to be in violation of the FCTC, strong and decisive action must be taken on these officials. 

This subversion of MOH’s important role in safeguarding the health of all Malaysians cannot be allowed. It is a poor reflection of the government’s commitment towards tobacco control, a public health threat that continues to kill Malaysians every single day. – January 31, 2023.

* The Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control is the umbrella civil society body for tobacco control in Malaysia, comprising 41 organisations.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.