Khairy criticises Sungai Buloh MP for comparing youth voting rights to letting them decide whether or not to smoke
KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin took a wipe at Sungai Buloh MP Datuk R. Ramanan for disapproving the government’s generational end game (GEG) policy to curb smoking among future Malaysians.
Khairy, who has pushed for the Tobacco Products and Smoking Control Bill 2022 and the GEG policy when he was health minister, took to his Instagram story where he posted a screen grab of a news report on Ramanan’s support for youths to decide for themselves on smoking as they already are given voting rights.
“I really should have kicked your ass,” Khairy posted on the video-sharing app without elaborating.
Khairy and Ramanan last faced off in the 15th general election last November.
Khairy who had been Rembau MP since 2008 was nominated to run in Sungai Buloh in GE15, to make way for Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, but lost to Ramanan from PKR.
Ramanan expressed his disapproval of the GEG policy in a news conference at Parliament yesterday.
The government backbencher questioned why 18-year-old Malaysians are now able to vote, but not made decisions for their own health.
Ramanan also insisted that the policy required more research before implementation and that other countries had not implemented such a law.
He added that many jobs would be lost and many shops will have to close to accommodate the policy, particularly those in the vape industry.
The Bill, which seeks to ban the use, possession and sale of cigarettes and vape products to those born after 2007, was introduced by Khairy last year.
Last Tuesday, the Health Ministry said it is set to re-table the highly anticipated Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill on June 12 for its first reading in Parliament.
