PETALING JAYA: The government should set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the recent revelation that tobacco and vape industry players had lobbied MPs to exclude the generational endgame (GEG) component of the tobacco control Bill in Parliament, says the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP).

       CAP said this clearly showed that the tobacco and vape industry had violated the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control.

       "We want to know why Malaysian policymakers allowed the industry to influence the outcome of the proposed GEG Bill," said CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader in a statement on Wednesday (March 20).

       "Malaysia ratified the WHO FCTC in 2005, close to two decades ago, yet this can happen in the very sanctum where laws are passed, which is an absolute shame and a subversion of the legislative process.

       "We are grateful that the Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni admitted that tobacco and vape industry players had met with MPs in Parliament itself to lobby for the exclusion of GEG," he said.

       Mohideen said unfortunately, there were some policymakers who are complicit in this grand scheme of things, excluding the GEG to serve the agenda of the lobbyists who want to continue addicting Malaysians for many generations to profit from it.

       "As such, an RCI on this matter is of national importance to find out the extent of 'infiltration' and 'influence' of the lobbyists on our MPs.

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       "Unless this corruption of the Parliamentary process is prevented, it will open the door for external forces, including foreign governments to influence the government to serve their agenda," added Mohideen.