The Malaysian Association of Youth Clubs (MAYC) plan to jointly organise an anti-smoking campaign with two tobacco companies has come under fire from two more consumer advocates, the Consumer Association of Penang and the Federation of Consumers' Association of Malaysia ( Fomca ).

Last week, non-governmental group Teras lambasted the MAYC project which will be organised in collaboration two major cigarette manufacturers JT International (JTI) and British American Tobacco Malaysia (BAT).

The campaign, to be launched on June 11 in Kuala Lumpur is to be called 'Media campaign to prevent youth from smoking'.

CAP said in statement that it was 'disturbed' by the involvement of the two major tobacco companies in the campaign and as to their intentions.

"At first glance, it would appear that these tobacco companies are concerned about the welfare of Malaysian youth and their efforts should be welcomed," said CAP president SM Mohd Idris.

"However, experience in other countries has shown that these programmes are usually launched at particularly sensitive political moments for the tobacco company, and are more to relieve political pressure rather than to discourage tobacco use," he said.

"Tobacco companies have been known to cooperate with mainstream organisations as a means to give their policies and reputations a cloak of respectability and credibility."

"It is also simply another form of advertising," said SM Idris. "If at all these tobacco companies are concerned with preventing youths from smoking, they should be giving up their operations altogether, including all advertisements and promotions.

"It is obscene that on the one hand, they (tobacco companies) are taking part in anti-smoking campaigns, while on the other they continue to encourage the smoking habit," said the CAP president.

Regressive move

Fomca said it condemned MAYC's decision to obtain funding and support for anti-smoking initiatives from companies that ultimately seek to promote smoking.

Its vice-president Korif Atan told malaysiakini that with tobacco companies known to target young people, MAYC's decision to work with these companies to presumably discourage smoking was just 'illogical'.

"At this juncture, as the Malaysian government is about to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), working with tobacco groups merely moves us backwards. It is regressive," he said.

Malaysia has signed but has yet to formally recognise the FCTC, an international anti-smoking agreement. The Health Ministry, however, recently announced that it would be tabling the convention in parliament soon for formal ratification.

Korif also questioned why MAYC had chosen not to obtain support from the government or other organisations with 'more legitimacy' in promoting anti-smoking.

He also highlighted the fact it would be problematic for Islamic and other religious groups to work with tobacco companies, as such moves could be evidently 'a sin'.

When contacted, MAYC Education and Religion bureau head, Zainal Abidin Fathodin, who is in charge of organising the upcoming campaign, said: "I don't have the time to answer your ( malaysiakini 's) questions.

"You may send in your questions in writing but even then I doubt I will have the time to answer them," he said.