KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Anti-tobacco groups MyWatch and Public Health Malaysia have questioned if someone else had taken an RM50 million bribe, which was allegedly rejected by former Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, to drop the generational end game (GEG) policy.
MyWatch president Roslizawati Md Ali noted that the fact that the proposed generational ban on tobacco and vape for those born from 2007 was ultimately decoupled from the tobacco bill raised serious and legitimate questions.
“While the aide to YB Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha has publicly stated that she did not succumb to inducements from the tobacco industry, the question that now confronts the nation is a simple but critical one: if she did not take the bait, did someone else?” Roslizawati said in a statement yesterday.
“MyWatch therefore urgently calls on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to initiate a full, independent, and transparent investigation into these latest revelations. This investigation must go beyond individual actors and examine the broader ecosystem of influence, lobbying, and decision-making that led to the dilution of a landmark public health reform.
“This is not merely an issue for tobacco control advocates. It is an issue of governance, integrity, and the right of Malaysians to know whether public policy has been compromised by ‘merchants of death’ whose products kill half of their long-term users.”
CodeBlue reported yesterday an op-ed penned by Dr Zaliha’s former political secretary, G. Sivamalar, who claimed she had personally witnessed Dr Zaliha rejecting an RM50 million bribe offer to drop the GEG policy before the tobacco bill was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in November 2023. The Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) omits GEG provisions.
While claiming that she didn’t remember details on when, where, or who made the RM50 million bribe offer to Dr Zaliha, Sivamalar told CodeBlue that neither she nor the health minister had lodged a report to the MACC or police because they “didn’t want to waste time”.
Roslizawati pointed out that Sivamalar, as a lawyer by profession, should have known that she was legally obliged to notify the authorities.
“For MyWatch, this revelation merely confirms what we have documented, analysed, and warned policymakers about for many years: tobacco industry interference in Malaysia’s public health policymaking is persistent, systematic, and worsening.”
The anti-tobacco group further described Act 852, the country’s first standalone tobacco control law, as a “tainted” piece of legislation now.
Public Health Malaysia, a public health platform on Facebook with 1.3 million followers, said Sivamalar’s bombshell revelation raised questions beyond a mere meeting at which Dr Zaliha allegedly turned down the RM50 million bribe offer.
“If the tobacco industry was willing to put up such a large sum to lobby the health minister, it is unreasonable for us to believe that their efforts stopped there,” wrote Public Health Malaysia yesterday.
“An industry that depends on long-term addiction will not stop after one failed attempt. The real question is whether there were other recipients. Were there individuals or particular voices that ultimately brought the interests of the tobacco industry into the policy debate and the Dewan Rakyat?
“That is why this issue cannot be left as a mere political story. An official report to the MACC is crucial – not to punish without evidence, but to stop a cycle of lobbying that operates in silence.
“When there is a report, there is an investigation. When there is an investigation, there are boundaries. Without that, the space to try again will always remain open.”
Seatca: Malaysia Needs Code Of Conduct For Interactions With Tobacco Industry
Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca) senior policy advisor Mary Assunta expressed disappointment with Dr Zaliha’s alleged failure to file an official report on the purported RM50 million bribe offer.
“Her aide should have also made a complaint to MACC. It is rather strange to now make a claim of bribery but also say ‘cannot recall details’. Any investigation into the matter will require details,” Mary told CodeBlue yesterday.
“Following this exposé from the former aide to the health minister, other officials who may have been offered bribes to kill the GEG should come forward and file a complaint with the MACC. Only they can provide details of the offer, which the MACC will require when investigating.”
The regional anti-tobacco group stressed the urgent need for Malaysia to adopt a code of conduct to guide public officials in their interactions with the tobacco industry and lobbyists, pointing out that the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore have already adopted such guidance. Laos has incorporated it into its tobacco control law.
“Seatca has been urging the Ministry of Health to adopt this guidance for many years, but it has been delayed,” said Mary. “Such a guidance would provide transparency, curb situations of conflict of interest, and protect public officials from lobbying and interference from the tobacco industry.”
She pointed out that Malaysia has been performing poorly in the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, with its ranking dropping to 85 out of 100 countries this year from 76 out of 90 countries in 2023.
“The longer Malaysia delays in adopting protective measures, the more it leaves public officials vulnerable to industry lobbying.”
Mary also urged Malaysia to create a lobbyist register, like in the European Union (EU) and many developed countries, as part of transparency and good governance.
The attempted RM50 million bribe offer to Dr Zaliha has entered international news, with US-based tobacco trade journal Tobacco Reporter picking up the story.
