Health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the ministry has reviewed the bill and will proceed with its re-tabling, taking into consideration the recommended amendments by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) last year.

“The tabling of the bill was postponed due to the dissolution of Parliament on Oct 10, 2022,” she said in a parliamentary reply to Wong Chen (PH-Subang), who wanted to know the timeline for the enactment of the GEG bill.

The PSSC studying the bill had on Oct 5 tabled a report containing details of its proceedings and recommendations to improve the bill.

Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who was the PSSC chairman, had said the matters deliberated on and decided by the committee included issues pertaining to the Federal Constitution, the need for a new Act to regulate smoking products, and activities involving smoking products.

He said the committee also discussed and fine-tuned the limits of enforcement and penalties for offences under the bill, as stipulated in its terms of reference.

The first and second readings of the bill were done on July 27 and Aug 1, respectively, while a motion to refer it to the PSSC was introduced on Aug 2 and approved by the Dewan Rakyat.

The law was initially expected to come into force in 2025.

Khairy earlier said that the Jan 1, 2025 enforcement date would give Putrajaya enough time to ensure a smooth transition in the regulation of tobacco and smoking-related products.

In his speech during the second reading of the bill, he said that before the “hard” implementation in 2025, a series of initiatives using a “soft landing” approach would be conducted to raise awareness on the dangers of smoking to those born from Jan 1, 2007 onwards.