Thesun 2009-10-29 Page06 Minimun Price For Cigarettes From January

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theSun

| THURSDAY OCTOBER 29 2009

news without borders

Minimum price for cigarettes from January

MACC forms team to probe findings in A-G’s report

At the Dewan Rakyat

by Husna Yusop and Hemananthani Sivanandam [email protected]

THE government is expected to implement a minimum price for cigarettes from Jan 1 in an effort to further reduce the number of smokers. The minimum number of sticks a packet will be 20 and smaller packs will not be available. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told reporters at the Parliament lobby the Attorney-General’s Chambers has agreed with the ministry’s views and suggestions to implement a minimum price. “The minimum price is to ensure that certain quarters cannot easily access cigarettes and to control foreign cigarettes from entering the market,” he said. Based on the current tax structure, the minimum price for a packet of 20 sticks

of cigarettes is RM6.20. “If the tax increases, the minimum price will go up. If possible, we want to prevent cheap or smuggled cigarettes (from coming in) because these cigarettes have higher toxic levels,” he said. Liow said that with the implementation of the Asian Free Trade Agreement (Afta) next year, more cheap cigarettes will flood the market. “So, we have to control the prices to prevent people from obtaining cigarettes easily,” he said. Liow said there are some three million smokers in Malaysia, making up about 21.5% of the population. Tan Yi Liang reports: Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC)

by Tim Leonard [email protected]

president K. Koris described the proposal to implement a minimum price for cigarettes as “nonsensical”. “It is silly to set a minimum price because it is not something that is essential to consumers, like flour and sugar,” he said. “It should be left to market forces and the ruling government, who can increase it to whatever price they want. “You can stop smoking and go on. But this is not so for other items like flour and sugar, which are essential to our day-today lives.” Koris said his association had repeatedly called for the abolition of the sale of the 14-stick packets “which are very prevalent among schoolchildren and teenagers”

The 1Malaysia dilemma of our education system pg 11

MP agrees with Kay Kim on streaming A BACKBENCHER has asked the government to take over all secondary schools, including vernacular and private schools, to create a society based on the 1Malaysia principles. Hamim Samuri (BN-Ledang) said he agreed with a statement by Universiti Malaya Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim that the existence of various streams of schools does not help Malaysians to understand the 1Malaysia concept. “We need to find the best method to do this so that everyone would enjoy the country’s prosperity. But it must be done according to the federal constitution,” he said when debating the Supply Bill 2009. “The government can take over the administration of all schools, help them all

and make them 1Malaysia.” Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (PAS-Pengkalan Chepa) interjected and said the problem facing the current government policies and programmes is “lack of a meeting point”. “Our weakness here is there is no meeting point. The policies are like the railway tracks where the trains do not meet until the end of the road. They are scattered,” he said. “The government must find a meeting point as a platform for these schools to operate on so that in the end, it will reach a point whereby everyone is regarded as Malaysian.” Tony Pua (DAP-PJ Utara) said he agreed all schools at secondary level should be in

one stream but it should also include the Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM). However, Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Ind-Pasir Mas) said the formation of MRSM was related to the New Economic Policy to ensure the bumiputras were not left behind in education. Hamim also said the Malaysia Day public holiday on Sept 16 must be filled with activities meant to inculcate the 1Malaysia spirit. He suggested that the Tourism Ministr play a more meaningful role in the celebrations. However, Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) said the government decided to declare Sept 16 a public holiday not to enable Malaysians to relax around their houses doing nothing.

‘Shame war criminals’ call at conference

briefs No EPF withdrawal for haj

by Maria J. Dass

THE government does not intend to allow EPF contributors to withdraw their savings to perform the haj for themselves and their immediate family members, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein said. This is because the purpose of the EPF scheme is to provide savings for their retirement, he told Zulkifli Noordin (PKR-Kulim Bandar Baru). He also said the government has no plan to abolish Section 167 of Insurance Act, and Regulation 6 of the EPF Regulations 2001, which Zulkifli said have caused many problems and are being abused by nominees. Awang Adek said the provisions are in line with the laws on assets distribution.

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MiGs to be phased out THE government has decided to stop using the MiG-29N Russian-made jet fighter because some of its components and aircraft systems are old and difficult to maintain. The maintenance cost of the jet is high and this will create a loss for the government in the long-term, Defence Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said. “The weaponry of the aircraft also has reached its end and an extension of the life-line would be costly and not beneficial,” he told Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN-Kota Belud). Ahmad Zahid said once the service of MiG-29N is ended, its role will be taken over by the SU-30MKM aircraft. “For this purpose, the Royal Malaysian Air Force has plans to buy a multi-role combat aircraft which can be mobilised to implement various air operations duties,” he said.

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has formed a team to investigate government agencies and departments, based on the Auditor-General’s Report for 2008, which highlighted excessive spending by ministries and agencies. MACC Deputy Commissioner (Operations) Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed said the team is combing through information contained in the report and is taking action to ensure the wrongdoers are brought to book. “But it is unfair to say all the contents in the A-G’s report are the responsibility of the MACC,” he told a media briefing at the commission’s headquarters yesterday. “The relevant government departments, ministries and agencies must also take responsibility (for the audit findings). “We only pick up on the elements of corruption contained in the audit findings.” Abu Kassim said that following the 2007 report, the MACC had charged 15 individuals on 94 counts of corruption, and 45 investigation papers are still open. The cases have yet to be resolved as they are still in the courts, he said. He said that from Jan 1 to Sept 30 this year, 36 Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians and 17 from Pakatan Rakyat had been investigated by the commission, and eight politicians, all from Umno, had been charged. This should dispel the notion that the MACC was biased and favoured the BN government. Abu Kassim said there were 775 active cases, covering both the private and public sectors, pending in court during same period. He also said investigations on both the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) and Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai’s wife were in progress.

Mahathir addresses the conference against a backdrop of a child killed in a war atrocity.

KUALA LUMPUR: There was a strong call at the Criminalise War Conference and War Crimes Tribunal here yesterday to ostracise leaders of countries who are considered war criminals or initiators of wars, including banning their entry into countries, throwing shoes at them, and insulting them in public. Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said such leaders should be banned from entering Malaysia, and countries and organisations that identify them as war criminals should do the same. British parliamentarian, author and broadcaster George Galloway, a panellist at the event, who supported Mahathir’s suggestion, took it a step further by suggesting that people should emulate Iraqi journalist Muntadar Al-Zaini, who threw his shoes at former US president George Bush during a press conference, or shout “war criminal” when they see these leaders in public. In his keynote address, Mahathir said: “We may not be able to arrest or jail such persons but we hope the world would take notice that these are criminals who go to war and kill so many people. “People should not associate

with them and (should) avoid and ostracise them.” He said countries and organisations should also avoid these individuals and not have anything to do with them. Imposing trade sanctions on countries is too complicated because people need essential goods, so the punishment should be directed at the individuals themselves. Asked why the campaign at the conference was targeted at the United States, Mahathir said: “We know that there are problems elsewhere, but this time around, we are talking about Iraq and the Americans are the principal players in Iraq. “There is a tendency for some people to excuse America because other people are also bad, but this is akin to saying that because other people also commit crimes so a criminal cannot be arrested.” Galloway also said a distinction should be made between Jews and Zionists. At a question-and-answer session following the panel discussion, he said “attacks should not be narrowed towards the Jewish community”. “There are many good Jews and we should not be blaming all of them, lest our intentions be misconstrued,” he said, adding that many war criminals are not Jews.