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After nearly 50 years of leading CAP’s vigorous anti-smoking campaign, Subbarow is finally seeing the government’s seriousness in wanting to reduce the number of smokers and eventually eradicate the habit.
The bill seeks to ban the use, possession and sale of cigarettes and vape products for those born after 2007, with the aim of making the country tobacco-free by 2040.
Despite the bill having been referred to a parliamentary select committee for a review after being tabled for second reading yesterday, Subbarow is confident the MPs are mature enough to realise how such a law will benefit society.
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He is confident the bill will be passed in Parliament at its next sitting in October, if not during the current meeting, adding that all the arguments and “propaganda” by the tobacco industry are weak.
“Honestly, I never thought I would see the day when the government enacts a law to fight this habit which, to me, is disgusting,” he told FMT. “This has been my passion since joining CAP in the early 70s. My colleague Mary Assunta and I travelled the length and breadth of the country carrying out campaigns.”
The 68-year-old activist had been involved in several hundred campaigns that focused on the dangers of smoking and how it leads to other vices, including drug activities. Most of his programmes involved educating schoolchildren as the number of young smokers had been on the rise.
Subbarow’s “hatred” for smoking began when he saw students from poor families spending their pocket money buying cigarettes and with some of them picking up the drug habit.
“I come from a rural area in Teluk Intan where the parents struggled in the estates for survival. That’s when I told myself I have to join an NGO which carries out strong campaigns against smoking.
“Of course, CAP, under the leadership of the late SM Mohamed Idris, who abhorred smoking, was my choice after finishing my studies,” he said.
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Having worked in a research firm for a short time before joining CAP also opened his eyes on the damaging effect smoking has on society.
Subbarow said the firm had carried out many surveys on the dangers and other impacts of smoking on youths and families. “This, too, encouraged me to join CAP.”
He said that until 1995, when cigarette advertisements were disallowed, CAP had a tough time as the promotions made the youngsters believe that it was “prestigious” to smoke and that it projected a macho image.
He said while he had been active in Penang, his former colleague Assunta had moved on to the global scene to continue her anti-tobacco campaigns. She is now the senior policy adviser of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca).
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