LETTER | Tomorrow is World No Tobacco Day (May 31). The Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) is seriously saddened by the "present" all Malaysians have been given in conjunction with World No Tobacco Day 2021, even as we continue to be ravaged by the pandemic.

This "present" was the meeting between top officials of the Health Ministry (MOH) and Naeem Shahab Khan, Managing Director of Philip Morris Malaysia. The MCTC is extremely concerned about this event. Even more worrying was the fact that this meeting was publicised on the official Facebook page of the MOH as well as in other mainstream media.

It is alleged that this meeting was under the aegis of donating PPEs and other medical equipment which was contributed together by industry and Yayasan Salam Malaysia, who was represented by Mior Kamarulbaid Mior Shahid, one of its board members.

Although there has been a rebuttal on the MOH webpage which states that this meeting was in order to remind the company concerned on the need to remain compliant to tobacco control laws and nothing else, MCTC still feels that there are many red flags raised due to the meeting.

First, why the need for the top management of MOH, which included the minister and the chief secretary to meet and receive medical equipment contributions from these parties? Throughout the pandemic, far larger contributions have been made by industry partners which did not necessitate the need for such meetings.

In addition, if this meeting was indeed used as an avenue to provide a reminder to the tobacco industry partner on compliance with tobacco control laws, it would have certainly been conflicted due to the fact the MOH seemed to be receiving donations during the same meeting as well.

As mentioned above, equally concerning was the fact that MOH official media published accounts of the meeting and until prompted to do so by various netizens, had posted this as merely an official visit in which industry CSR was being carried out.

It is prudent to remind all stakeholders at this stage that Malaysia is a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and Article 5.3 of that instrument specifically mentions the need to protect public health interests from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other watchdogs have also noted that the practice of using "donations" to "open doors" to concerned stakeholders during the Covid-19 pandemic is a tried and tested tactic of the tobacco industry. 

It has been documented in different countries throughout the pandemic and is being used to push the tobacco industry’s own agenda, which has always been in direct contrast to the health concerns of the public.

MCTC and its fellow civil-society-organisations would here like to make some pointed observations to all stakeholders both in the public and private sector when dealing with donations and such like for the Covid-19 pandemic :

i) While all parties’ contribution to the Covid-19 pandemic efforts is welcomed, there a need to be cautious in "blowing up" or "publicising" these efforts especially when they come from industries which may be in direct conflict with health.

Many industry partners have made enormous contributions to the MOH, other ministries and directly to clinical institutions during the pandemic. Many have done so in complete anonymity with genuine intent - with no aim for publicity whatsoever. So have civil-society organisations (CSOs) including many who are MCTC members who have contributed millions of ringgit to the Covid-19 cause.

It is needful for all stakeholders, be it the MOH or other parties to evaluate the parties providing donations to the cause of Covid-19 and be careful that this is not a "hidden" motive to further their own agenda and tamper with public health policies.

By allowing tobacco industry officials access to the top management of the MOH, wrong messages are being sent. There is an inherent conflict between these parties who are upholding the interests of Malaysians in terms of health, and the tobacco industry whose products are proven to be detrimental to health. Top officials of the MOH should not be meeting with the tobacco industry.

All dealings with the industry, when needed in terms of instruction and censure, have previously been carried out at the level of the FCTC secretariat which has relevant technical officials. This practice is the norm for all countries that are FCTC signatories. Why should we be doing any different?

ii) The official media channels of the MOH must equally be cognisant of publicising efforts supported by any organisation and first determine whether or not they are acting against the interest of health. The NGO mentioned in the meeting who was in attendance together with the PMI representative has had a long history of collaboration with the tobacco industry in various efforts.

By publicising these meetings/donations from organisations who have actively shown cooperation and efforts in working together with the tobacco industry and other stakeholders, MOH is sending a message that legitimises these organisations which have a negative impact on the health of the public. 

This also sends a signal to society that organisations such as those in the tobacco industry are "all-right" and "not-so-bad". The message going out is simple: After all, if MOH is working together with them, they can’t be all that bad right?

There should be no publicity which promotes any kind of organisation that has a detrimental impact on health across the board. As the main health stakeholder for all Malaysians, MOH must be especially careful about the messaging it sends across to the public.

MCTC and its fellow civil-society organisations urge the government to not forget about the dangers caused by all tobacco products, even amidst this Covid-19 pandemic. MOH research as well as other global publications have clearly pointed out the additional danger from Covid-19 to smokers, those exposed to second and third-hand smoke; and now to those using vape as well.

The Covid-19 pandemic has proven to us the importance of preventive health behaviour and the importance of public health policies. All elements of tobacco control continue to be extremely relevant in playing a part especially to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We should not let our guard down and especially should not be lulled into believing "Trojan horse gifts" from organisations which are known to be engaged in activities detrimental to health.

MCTC and its fellow civil-society organisations would also like to warn parties who are trying to take advantage of the current pandemic and economic uncertainties to forward their own pro-tobacco agenda. 

We remain vigilant to any and all such moves to undermine the public health measures which are in place to protect Malaysians from all health risks and keep our people safe. 

The views expressed here are those of the authors/contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.