THE Health  Ministry (MOH) is scheduled to table the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today.

According to the Order Paper on the parliament’s official website, the bill will be tabled by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa after the Ministers’ Question Time session.

On May 26, Zaliha was quoted as saying it was a success for the ministry to finally get the support of the cabinet to table the bill.

At the media briefing held on June 6, she was reported to have said the ministry had incorporated all 23 proposed amendments and added five new suggestions to the bill, making it more comprehensive as it covers not only conventional smoking products but also new ones, including electronic and combustible ones.

However, she said the bill still retains the generational endgame (GEG) provision, affecting those born on January 1, 2007, onwards.

The GEG provision will curb the problem of smoking, especially among the youth, which is the main contributor to the country’s economy, and save 2.07 million lives, she said.

According to Zaliha, the new bill with a “Win-Win Solution: Navigating Differences through Collaborative Compromise” concept is based on the findings of recent studies.

Also scheduled to be tabled for the first reading today is the Capital Markets and Services (Amendment) Bill 2023.

Meanwhile, among the focus during the question-and-answer session for today is a question from Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Bandar Tun Razak-PH) to the education minister.

She wants to know the measures that have been taken to deal with bullying, especially among secondary school students, which is seen to be increasing every year and the effectiveness of the measures taken.

Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau-PH) will pose a question to the health minister on measures taken to promote health literacy among the people, which is still at a low level considering that Malaysia is categorised as an unhealthy country.

Also on the list of questions is one from Wan Razali Wan Nor (Kuantan-PN) who wants to know if the National Unity Ministry is involved in the process of monitoring and editing dramas and films to ensure values of harmony are portrayed in the works produced and sensitive issues involving racial and religious matters are not touched on. 

The current Dewan Rakyat sitting is for 11 days and will end on Thursday. – Bernama, June 12, 2023.