“On the contrary, according to the World Health Organisation, plain packaging has been proven very effective in every country which has implemented it,” Santiago said.
Plain packaging means the cigarette packs must feature health warnings and have a standard colour, shape and font.
Santiago was commenting on the results of a poll conducted by CanvasU, which was commissioned by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), to understand Australians’ views on the policy five years after its implementation.
According to JTI Malaysia, the research found that almost 59% of Australians believe that plain packaging has been ineffective.
“Even the Australian government’s own data justifies public scepticism; the most recent figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that while smoking rates have been on a long-term downward trend, for the first time in over two decades, the daily smoking rate did not significantly decline over the most recent three year period (2013 to 2016),” JTI Malaysia corporate affairs manager Daniel Lui said.
Speaking to FMT, Santiago, who has been a vocal advocate for the implementation of plain packaging in Malaysia, accused JTI of being selective with its facts.
“JTI has every reason to cast doubts, it is a tobacco lobby,” he said.
Santiago recalled that last year, the health ministry had voiced its intention to implement plain packaging but, to date, the policy had not been put into effect.
“The effort was killed by the tobacco-linked international property rights lobby which threatened governments with lawsuits, and the state buckled.
“This was during the time when the Philip Morris versus Australia case was going on and Malaysia wanted to wait to see how the case played out.
“Now, as the Philip Morris versus Australia case has been decided in favour of Australia, Malaysia has nothing to worry about and should reconsider introducing plain packaging.”
Santiago said because the tobacco companies had the funds to go after governments, a sense of sovereignty was also at stake as countries bowed to the will of these companies.
“Malaysia, in order to defend that sovereignty, should take a firm stance on the matter,” Santiago added.
MOH buckles under pressure on plain packaging for cigarettes