Maldivians Face Lifetime Smoking Ban for Gen Z and Beyond

The Republic of Maldives has banned smoking for individuals born on or after January 01, 2007, becoming the second country in the world after New Zealand to implement a generational prohibition on tobacco. 

According to Maldives Health Statistics, tobacco consumption and exposure to secondhand smoke are among the leading causes of illness and death nationwide. This prompted President Mohamed Muizzu to launch an anti-smoking campaign last year, banning vapes and e-cigarettes while doubling import duties and taxes on cigarettes. 

The new ban, affecting Generation Z first, was ratified as an amendment to the Tobacco Control Act in May and came into force on Saturday. It also reportedly applies to visitors to the island nation known for its luxury tourism. 

Not only that but individuals under 21 are also barred from participating in tobacco-related sales or commercial activities, a move described as “further shielding young people from tobacco exposure”. 

The new law bans all forms of tobacco advertising, sponsorship, and promotion, and upholds a total prohibition on electronic cigarettes and vapes for all ages, including their import, sale, distribution, possession, and use. The Maldives Health Ministry said the new law will help “protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation”. 

First Lady Saajidhaa Mohamed hailed the move as historic, calling it “a bold, evidence-based step to break the cycle of addiction and prevent diseases” and a commitment to “securing a healthier, stronger future for our youth”. 

Many countries have introduced measures to curb tobacco use in recent years, ranging from banning smoking in public places to raising tobacco taxes and implementing marketing and age restrictions.

Malaysia Records Worst CPI Score in a Decade

The latest global watchdog Transparency International’s annual report was released yesterday and the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that most countries are failing to stop corruption. 

 

The CPI ranks countries and territories around the world by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The global average remains unchanged for over a decade at just 43 out of 100. 

 

And more than two-thirds of countries score below 50, while 26 countries have fallen to their lowest scores yet. Despite concerted efforts and hard-won gains by some, 155 countries have made no significant progress against corruption or have declined since 2012. 

 

Not surprisingly, Malaysia continued its slide, managing only 47 out of 100 possible points – its worst performance in a decade. 

 

TI’s piece “CPI 2022 for Asia-Pacific: Basic freedoms restricted as anti-corruption efforts neglected” published yesterday identified the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as this narrative on Malaysia: 

 

“Malaysia’s (47) statistically significant decline is indicative of its ongoing struggle with grand corruption. The 1MDB scandal – first uncovered in 2016 – is considered one of the largest exposés of corruption in the world, implicating banks, celebrities and institutions across six countries. In 2022, former Prime Minister Najib Razak was sent to jail for his involvement. Yet this doesn’t even cover the full extent of corruption at the highest level in the country: in December the Anti-Corruption Commission opened a new investigation into a different prime minister¹ who allegedly misappropriated over $136 billion in government funds during his term. The current prime minister promised to clean up after ongoing scandals, but as part of efforts to stabilise his unity government appointed a deputy prime minister² with a number of serious corruption allegations against him, potentially inviting new risks”. 

 

Muhammad Mohan, the chairperson of the local chapter TI-Malaysia, said despite an "improvement" in the ranking from 62nd previously to 61st, Malaysia’s score continued to fall after reaching its height of 53 points in 2019. 

 

He listed the reasons for the low score, which included the lack of political will in fighting institutional corruption in the government, huge Covid-19 pandemic stimulus packages that were rolled out without parliamentary debate and scrutiny, appointing unqualified politicians to head government-linked companies, and the reluctance to firmly address cost overruns such as the Littoral Combat Ship project. 

Nothing new lah, as far as Malaysia is concerned.

 

¹ Muhyiddin Yassin
² Ahmad Zahid Hamidi