Anwar Urges Speaker To Refer Geg Bill To Parliament Select Committee

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PARLIAMENT | Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has urged the government to refer the Generational End Game (GEG) bill, now being debated for second reading, to a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) that would scrutinise concerns over its enforcement.
Anwar said he has written to Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun on the matter as well as submitted a formal motion under Standing Orders 54(1) and 54(2).
"After discussions with the opposition MPs, I found that they supported the bill in principle.
"However, I also found there were many MPs from the opposition who raised their concerns over (breach of) constitutional rights, as well as issues on enforcement of the bill," Anwar said in his letter shared on Facebook.
Therefore, the Port Dickson MP said a PSC led by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin should be tasked to examine the matter and develop recommendations within a month.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin"I hope this proposal to refer this bill to a PSC will be given due consideration," he added.
From the government bench, Padang Rengas MP Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz in his debate yesterday said the passing of the GEG bill to ban smoking for those born from 2007 onwards could see the government, in future, sued by youths over breach of their freedom of choice.
While expressing support for the bill, Nazri said the GEG would create age discrimination.
The Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill 2022 was tabled for its second reading in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday and debates will continue today.
Padang Rengas MP Mohamed Nazri Abdul AzizIn tabling the bill for second reading, Khairy announced that it would be amended to incorporate suggestions from two bipartisan committees - PSC on Women, Children, and Social Development led by Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said, and the PSC on Health, Science, and Innovation led by Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.
A section of the bill – widely known as the GEG – seeks to make it unlawful to sell tobacco products and smoking devices to those born from Jan 1, 2007, onwards, with the ban starting in 2025.

Aside from the GEG provisions, the bill also includes various regulations to control the sale of tobacco and vape products, which have been in the works since 2005. - Mkini

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