I was attracted by a report published in a daily last week that said one out of every four Malaysians smokes.
The report mentioned all the adverse consequences of smoking, including the significant reduction of a person’s lifespan.
Some children were reported to have started smoking while they were still in Year Six. I am not at all surprised because our anti-smoking campaign has never been serious.
The problem is that we are not serious in severing our love affair with tobacco companies, which contribute millions of ringgit in tax revenues.
However, in view of Malaysia’s current economic activities, the taxes collected form a relatively small portion of the national revenue.
I believe the country will not become poor without the tobacco money. Even though we recognise smoking is bad for health, we still don’t have the heart to totally ban tobacco products.
Instead, we just increase taxes on cigarettes, hoping people will smoke less. What we fail to realise is that smokers will continue to smoke regardless of the price of cigarettes.
They are prepared to cut spending on other things, even food if they have to, as long as they can smoke.
Some people may argue that at least the tobacco tax revenue can be used to finance development programmes.
I wonder if the taxes collected can cover the medical fees that the Government and other employers have to fork out for sick employees.
We know non-smokers who are secondary smokers face a similar, if not greater, risk of catching tobacco-related diseases.
Taking into account the illnesses inflicted on secondary smokers, the medical costs the nation has to bear must be paramount.
The secondary smokers could be our loved ones – husbands, wives and children.
We cannot ignore the costs that employers have to bear as a result of the many days of medical leave employees take due to tobacco-related diseases. What about the wasted man-hours as a result of those 10-minute “time-outs” taken every hour by smokers?
It is difficult to kick the habit.But if I could do it, there is no reason why others cannot.
If we could survive from cigarette cravings during the fasting month of Ramadan, why can’t we quit smoking during other months?
What we need is just sheer determination. We teach our children to say “No” to cigarettes but look at the role models around them.
Parents smoke and so do teachers. In offices, there are “no smoking” signs all over the place but even bosses smoke like chimneys in their rooms.
Some quarters may argue the authorities are doing something about this problem. Cigarette advertisements in any form are prohibited.
The authorities are also adamant that sporting organisations must not accept sponsorships from tobacco firms.
I agree with these rules. But while we work on anti-smoking campaigns why do we encourage our farmers to grow tobacco between padi seasons to supplement their income?
This is a perfect example of abandoning ethics for monetary gain. I believe the end does not justify the means.
There are many other crops that are just as profitable. So, why must we resort to growing tobacco? Are we sending the right signal to the public?
It is about time we put a stop to the tobacco industry in this country once and for all. There must be a complete ban on cigarettes and other tobacco-related products.
Some people might say this will increase smuggling activities and promote the selling of cigarettes on the black market. We can deal with these problems as they arise.
It is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to protect the interests of the people.
If smoking is bad for them, there should be a total ban on tobacco and related products.
That decision may prove to be unpopular but we are not here to be popular. We are here to protect the interests of the majority.
If one out of every four Malaysians smokes, the interests of the majority – the three other people – must be given priority.
We are facing a situation where we have to make a choice between good and bad. Definitely, we have to choose the one that benefits us.
