KUALA LUMPUR: The Retail &Trade Brands Advocacy Malaysia (RTBA Malaysia) has expressed concern over the cabinet's approval of the ban on tobacco and vape in the country in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat Session.

Its managing director Malaysia Datuk Fazli Nordin said RTBA Malaysia strongly opposes this ban as it is not a pragmatic solution to reduce smoking prevalence.

"Malaysia is a progressive nation. Unfortunately, implementing a blanket ban and taking away the rights of a citizen will affect legitimate businesses and retailers.

"A ban of this nature will only benefit criminal syndicates by fuelling the black market, be it for tobacco or vape," he said.

In addition, Fazli said that once the illegal cigarette syndicates take over the market, the socio-economic cost will be unreasonably high.

He said the current illegal cigarette market, at 58.4 per cent, has already caused the government to lose RM5 billion in tax revenue.

"A ban will see this figure skyrocket. Moreover, the added prohibition of vape products will only create a brand-new revenue stream for criminal syndicates, further impacting Malaysia's economy.

"While the Ministry of Health (MoH) has assured that it will increase enforcement efforts, history has proven time and time again that these efforts have not been effective.

"It is naïve to think it will be different this time," he added.