Former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the dangers of cigarette smoking, which include cancer and heart disease, had been extensively recorded and were supported by significant evidence.

Lee said he was disappointed by Tiong’s remarks last week in which Tiong had claimed that former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin had failed to prove that smoking causes cancer.

“He should read up. Read a medical textbook and it will tell you,” he said. “I am disappointed by Tiong’s statement.”

Tiong’s comment came amid public discussion about the proposed “generational endgame” tobacco control bill which would outlaw smoking among those born after 2007.

“The bill should be approved because this is part and parcel of the control of the epidemic of tobacco abuse,” Lee told FMT.

Lee said that it “doesn’t make sense” for a minister to focus on protecting the rights of current smokers at the expense of public health, especially that of the younger generation.

“By all means, existing smokers can go ahead (but) we need to protect our children from being addicted to nicotine,” he said.

Officially known as the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022, the proposed law seeks to ban the use, possession and sale of cigarettes and vape products to those born after 2007.

After Tiong’s remark, Khairy had questioned the tourism minister’s competence.

Reacting to the exchange, Lee said incompetent ministers have been present in every cabinet. He said when Khairy was health minister some of the members of the cabinet then did not support the proposed tobacco law.

“The bill would have been passed (then) if not for the lack of support from his own colleagues,” said Lee.

Addiction Medicine Association of Malaysia president Dr Steven Chow said the delay in implementing the bill suggests significant problems with the current strategy to combat smoking addiction.

However, he said certain foundational measures should be undertaken prior to the implementation of the bill.

“Countries like New Zealand and Australia spent decades implementing sustainable policies, regulations and tobacco harm reduction programmes in preparation for the move.

“In Malaysia, we have yet to embark on any meaningful harm reduction programmes,” he told FMT.

Chow also said Malaysia’s effective opioid addiction treatment, administered by trained general practitioners and family physicians, highlights the value of these programmes. However, the current bill lacks support for these healthcare providers to continue in a similar role, he noted.

Former health minister Dr S Subramaniam said Malaysia has already implemented several tobacco control measures, such as prohibiting cigarette advertisements and restricting sales, but suggested the need for more aggressive and extensive action.

“Along that line, GEG is a very creative way of attempting to reduce smoking. The intentions of the bill are good, and if the full intentions can be achieved, we might totally eliminate the risk of smoking in our country,” he said.

However, Subramaniam said that the primary challenge with the bill lies in its enforcement, as it creates groups with different smoking rights.

“If a certain cohort of people born beneath a certain age are not allowed to smoke and those above that cohort are, the identification of different cohorts will be left to enforcement officers.

“That is where the challenge would be,” he said.