Vaping – sultan's intervention result of weak gov't

While Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar's declaration of a ban on vape shops in Johor is unusual, the royal intervention was a result of Putrajaya's lack of leadership on public health issues, Centre For A Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) co-president Gan Ping Sieu said today.

"That the sultan of Johor has to wade in on the controversy surrounding vaping is an indictment on the dearth of political leadership in tackling issues of national concern, in this case, regulations pertaining to public health," said Gan.

He added that the positive response from the public for the monarch's "unusual" public ventilation of his view was testimony that they, too, shared the sultan's concern.

"Since the issue started dominating our national conversation, policymakers have been dragging their feet in addressing this issue.

"We have seen how officials from the same ministry contradict each other […] politicians milking the issue to the hilt and worse, the controversy taking on racial undertones.

"These were festered by the lack of political leadership in addressing the controversy expeditiously," he said.

Gan said ultimately, poor governance gave rise to the controversy which was aggravated by weak political will.

He added that weak political will has manifested in the worsening of race relations as racists and bigots become more emboldened.

A political process

"Moving forward, it is up to the Johor government to deliberate on the issue and take up the matter with the federal government as to whether we should impose a complete prohibition on vaping.

"Or to regulate the same strictly in a manner no less stringent than regulating smoking and the tobacco industry... it is a political process that the government of the day must address and resolve in the interest of the people," he said.

Gan said while the royal decree is not legally binding nor does it have the force of the law, it should be a wake-up call for the authorities to act decisively and put public health above race and politics.

On Sunday, Sultan Ibrahim, saying that it is a question of public health, instructed all vape shops in Johor to close by Jan 1, 2016. -Mkini