SPEECH BY ER DR LEE BEE WAH, MP FOR NEE SOON GRC, AT THE SECOND READING OF THE TOBACCO {CONTROL OF ADVERTISEMENTS AND SALE} (AMENDMENT) BILL IN PARLIAMENT
Mr Speaker Sir,
I would like to begin by complimenting the government’s intensive efforts in discouraging tobacco use in recent years. From expanding no-smoking zones to regulating displays of tobacco sales to increasing the minimum legal age of buying cigarettes and more. The government has shown its commitment to the tobacco-free movement.
In November last year, the government revealed plans to standardise the packaging of tobacco. By 2020, tobacco sold in Singapore must be packaged in drab colours, dropping logos, brand images and all other promotional information, while the size of the graphic warning is increased.
This follows in the footsteps of countries like Australia, France, the UK and many others which have adopted similar standardised packaging policies. With today’s bill, we will be a major step closer to this goal.
The last press release from the Ministry of Health stated that a transition period will be provided to allow manufacturers and retailers to sell their old stock. How long is this transition period? I am concerned about the vendors who sell cigarettes in the small provision shops and mama shops in the heartlands and the bus stops. Many of the shop keepers are elderly, and they are already facing many challenges to keep their business afloat. Has the Ministry reached out to them to help them understand the new regulations and to check if they would have trouble meeting the established deadlines?
In the meantime, I would like to take the opportunity to urge the government to consider adding designated smoking points (DSPs) to more places, especially in the heartlands. In the last update on this issue in February 2018, the Senior Minister of State said she will look into the results of the study of Orchard Road to see how this project can be expanded. However, Orchard Road and the heartlands are rather different in demographic and environment, amongst many other things.
Today Nee Soon South is covered by 50 DSPs. This cost us about half a million dollars, raised from private donors. But I think it was worth it. We can shield the vulnerable from second hand smoke. Children will also not be over-exposed to the sight of people smoking, preventing the normalising of smoking in their minds. At the same time, smokers’ needs are met too. The reality is that some smokers simply will not quit or unable to quit. They have told me that they appreciate the DSPs.
It helps them reduce the times they smoke at home, which exposes their family to second hand smoke, or can lead to disputes with neighbours.
In fact from time to time, I do receive request, emails from residents from other parts of Singapore asking for DSP.
Therefore, I hope the government will seriously look into having more DSPs in the residential areas. Furthermore, I hope the government will allow the Community Improvement Projects Committee fund to be used for the construction and maintenance of DSPs. I believe DSPs will certainly be win-win for both smokers and non-smokers.
Next, I wish to share my concerns about the increasing popularity of contraband cigarettes. This is inevitable as regulations concerning tobacco get tighter, and cigarettes become more expensive. In the past months, the Singapore Police Force has conducted raids turning up large numbers of contraband cigarettes. Industrial areas and foreign worker dormitories were among the places targeted.
I understand that the Singapore Customs also conducts island wide enforcement operations. While I applaud these organisations for their diligence, I would like to know how these cigarettes were smuggled in, and what is being done about it. I note that the proposed amendments include imposing heavier penalties on illegal import of tobacco products, and I hope that this will serve as some form of deterrence. A news report in 2017 revealed that illegal syndicates hire foreign workers to deliver the contraband cigarettes. Has there been an improvement in the situation since?
Exposure to cigarettes and smoking among foreign workers is also an issue we should be concerned about.
I hope that the ministry is working with dormitory operators and contractor companies to reach out to these workers to advise them about the laws concerning smoking in Singapore, and the unhealthy effects of smoking and second-hand smoke. These workers come to Singapore to seek a better living for themselves and their families, and it would be a shame for them to squander the money away on vices and picking up poor health that could have a negative impact on their health in the long run.
In fact, some of these foreign workers are living in HDB units and some smoke along the corridor.
Just last week I had a house visit, and a mother shared with me her agony. She has three young children and the unit beside her is rented out to several foreign workers. Every night, they smoke along the corridor, and the smoke drifted to her unit. She is so afraid the second hand smoke will affect the health of her three young children. As a mother, I can fully understand her desire to protect her children, in this case I alerted NEA and step up enforcement action. Smoking along the corridor is not permitted under the current law. On this note, i would like to once again bring up the increasing complains of neighbours smoking in their own units, and the smoke drifted to the neighbours’ units and affected the neighbours. Is NEA or MOH determined to do something about it? I know smoking is a personal choice, just like you can have party in your own home, so long as the noise generated do not affect the neighbours. So you can smoke in your own home, but the smoke should not affect your neighbours. Of course we hope that the smokers can be more considerate and think of the neighbours before they light up the cigarette, perhaps make use of the DSPs or walk further away. I really hope that MOH can work with NEA to work together and address this issue.
In Chinese please. 我很高兴政府不断推出降低吸烟率的新措施。禁止吸引人的烟盒设计是个好主意，不过希望政府能体恤比较小的杂货店，让他们有足够时间卖掉旧的货。
另外，虽然我们希望每个人都戒烟，不过肯定会有人戒不了。希望政府会考虑在住宅区增加更多指定吸烟点，让其他人免于二手烟的影响。在义顺南，我们自己建的指定吸烟点反应很好。希望政府会批准，让社区设施改进委员会的资金，可以用来建造指定吸烟点。
Click to watch the speech and response by MOH.