The Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers (CMTM) said fundamental issues in the bill should not be brushed aside in favour of rushing to pass the legislation in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat meeting.

“Stakeholder consensus is critical to ensure the bill is constitutional, implementable, enforceable and will achieve its intended health outcomes without unintended consequences,” it said in a statement.

The CMTM comprised of British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd, JT International Bhd and Philip Morris (Malaysia) Bhd.

While the bill has been referred to a new PSC on Aug 2, it said, the committee has not had any consultations with stakeholders.

“CMTM believes that the new members of the PSC should be given the opportunity to have face-to-face consultations with the relevant stakeholders to gain a fresh perspective and contribute to a holistic law-making process,” the statement said.

Last week, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the bill was still being studied by the PSC, but remained hopeful that the legislation would be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat next month.

CMTM also raised concerns that issues like constitutionality, wide enforcement powers, high penalties, consumer rights and the implementation mechanism of the GEG bill have not been addressed.

“The GEG proposal, if passed, is only scheduled to take effect in 2025. There is no immediate urgency to pass it because there is sufficient time in the next two years to resolve those issues,” it said.

It also said the government should exercise caution in passing a bill that could cause unintended socio-economic consequences, especially with the growing black market.

On July 27, Khairy tabled the bill in the Dewan Rakyat for its first reading. He has been pushing for the bill in line with efforts to make Malaysia a tobacco-free country by 2040.

The GEG bill seeks to ban the use, possession and sale of cigarettes and vape products to those born after 2007.