The Ministry of Health today called for the elimination of rampant smoking in the country and has pledged to support the push for more stringent local controls on tobacco.

Its parliamentary secretary Lee Kah Choon ( photo,right ) told an anti-tobacco conference in Kuala Lumpur that this would be possible with the support of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the media.

Sections of the media and conference organiser Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC), which is an umbrella outfit for 28 anti-tobacco related NGOs, were complimented on their efforts to rid the nation of this "unhealthy habit".

"The media has an important role to play in changing attitudes toward smoking from largely positive to strongly negative.

"Such changes in attitudes and social norms that surround smoking will lead many to quit and keep others from starting to light up", he told participants in his opening speech.

Lee was representing his minister Dr Chua Soi Lek at the function.

He added that the health ministry had always tried to enact policies on tobacco control but needed the help of NGOs to bring about changes as there were other ministries and government departments that had "different objectives and levels of understanding on smoking".

Government must do more

The parliamentarian's words, however, were taken with a pinch of salt by an activist who submitted that the government does not have the political will to do the necessary to immediately achieve this.

MCTC committee member K Koris, speaking to malaysiakini at the conference sidelines, said the government could contribute more to tobacco controls by being more proactive in dealing with local growers.

Koris, who is also Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) vice-president was responding to Lee's reiteration, when questioned by reporters today, that the extension on implementing a ban on box-of-tens cigarettes was to enable some 30,000 tobacco growers time to change its crop.

"The government can choose, if they are truly committed to poor farmers, to close their tobacco farms by paying for new land for all these growers and helping them convert their crop to vegetables or something else. They can emulate what they did with the Felda scheme," he said.

The Felda (Federal Land Development Authority) scheme provides land for farmers to cultivate, while providing settlers the option to eventually purchase the plot.

Poor quality tobacco

Lee told a press conference later that the process for these farmers to change its crop was slow as the "acidic land" used to cultivate tobacco was not suitable for other crops.

He stressed the need to protect the economies and welfare of these farmers.

"Furthermore, tobacco companies have now come up with economy packs of 20 cigarettes (using lower quality tobacco) and if we immediately ban the 10's or 14's packets, we'll be encouraging people to buy lower tobacco brands," the parliamentary secretary informed.

The ban on small packets - which are relatively cheaper - was initially introduced to curb its purchasing by youngsters and school-goers.

However, Lee said there are laws to curb the sale of cigarettes to these groups of society and government research has revealed that banning smaller packets may not necessarily reduce the number of smokers or the amount of cigarettes consumed.

"It may even encourage smokers to consume more as they can only buy packets of 20's," added Lee.

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Lee also took the tobacco industry to task in his earlier address to the conference.

"The industry kills 10,000 Malaysians a year. (The) tobacco industry, as we know, is tactful in dissuading smokers from quitting and persuading non-smokers - particularly youths - to start," he lamented.

"The industry has argued that the decision to begin smoking represents an informed choice, that people know what they are doing, and that by deciding to smoke, they assume responsibility for the habit and its repercussions.

"Phycologists have challenged this view point. 95 percent of regular smokers start before they are 20 years old and the question arises whether these young people have well-informed beliefs about smoking at that age".

Lee told the over 200 local and foreign participants and speakers that the tobacco industry systematically targets adolescents with smoking advertisements that play on their vulnerabilities and needs.

Cigarette advertisements on television and restaurants and the sponsorship of sporting events by tobacco companies have been banned in Malaysia.

In its first conference of its kind, MCTC - headed by Dr Syed Mohamed Aljunid - said it hoped to secure more grants with the help of other parties to continue on its anti-smoking campaign in the country.

The health ministry, he said, has given a grant for this year's conference.

The three-day conference will hear various speakers address issues on the theme "Towards A Smoke-Free Malaysia".