Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim has denied claims of alleged relations with a vape industry player accused of sponsoring a recent Negeri Sembilan PKR Youth breaking of fast gathering in Seremban.
When contacted, the PKR Youth chief said the event hosted to celebrate his members in Negeri Sembilan was not sponsored by any companies or individuals.
“We (PKR Youth) paid for the gathering with our own funds. I don’t even know who was the shop owner.
“It is a far stretch to link us to vape industry lobbyists,” he told Malaysiakini.
Earlier today, Medical Mythbusters Malaysia - a Facebook page that has been speaking up against tobacco industry lobbyists - shared a posting that accused Adam, as well as PKR Youth deputy chief Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim - of being unduly influenced by a vape industry player who also owned a restaurant in Seremban.
‘We bought all the food’
The post alleged that the individual had not only sponsored the event but invited Adam and Kamil to share a breaking-fast meal, further exposing links between vape industry lobbyists and lawmakers.
“The person was not even there. The photograph was taken by a PKR Youth member, but shared by the person,” said Adam.
Similarly, Kamil said he was unaware of the restaurant owner’s other businesses.
“There is no issue of us being invited for any meal. It was a PKR Youth event and we bought all the food,” he said.
The original post also referenced Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni’s revelation in the Dewan Rakyat, that lobbying by tobacco and vape industry representatives had heavily influenced the removal of the generational endgame provision from a law to control smoking.
Malaysiakini’s checks found that the Facebook post has since been removed or hidden, several hours after it was first uploaded.
The government’s original proposal to prohibit those born after 2007 from ever purchasing smoking products was scrapped from the recently passed Control of Smoking Products for Public Health 2023 Bill. - Mkini
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