KJ takes swipe at Anwar, lambasts minister for doubting smoking link to cancer

KUALA LUMPUR: Khairy Jamaluddin today took a swipe at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa after a minister appeared to be lacking awareness regarding the link between smoking and cancer.

In an Instagram story posted by Khairy about three hours ago, the former health minister wrote;

"I don't care if people say I failed as a minister.

"But, I cannot accept that there is a minister who doubts the link between smoking and cancer."

He further said: "I cannot accept that the health minister chooses to keep silent when a minister openly disputes the evidence of medical science.

"I cannot accept that the PM, @anwaribrahim_my is keeping a minister like this in his cabinet, just because he needs support to remain as the PM (prime minister).

"This assault on science is shameful and unacceptable," he wrote, with a screenshot of a news report, where Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing described him as the 'most failed health minister'.

Tiong blamed Khairy for alleged defects in the anti-smoking and tobacco control bill introduced during Khairy's tenure as the health minister.

In a Facebook post, Tiong said Khairy had introduced an "unconstitutional" and "unenforceable" bill, calling it hastily drafted with ill-prepared measures.

Tiong, the Bintulu member of parliament, asserted that Khairy failed to substantiate the connection between smoking and cancer.

Yesterday, Khairy took to a series of Instagram stories, including one questioning Tiong's competence as a cabinet member and tagged Anwar.

The bill, introduced by Khairy, seeks to ban smoking among those born after 2007 and restrict the sale of tobacco products to that age group.

However, Attorney-General Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh recently deemed a provision in the bill unconstitutional, citing a violation of the article on equality before the law.

Khairy, in response to setbacks faced by the bill, blamed three unnamed government figures.

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