Amendment must be passed to eradicate tobacco just like fascism: Adviser Farida Akhter

Adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Farida Akhter, has said that tobacco must be eradicated from the country, just like fascism, through the passage of the Tobacco Control law amendment.

She made this remark while addressing as chief guest at a discussion titled “The Importance of Strengthening the Tobacco Control Law to Protect the Health of Women, Children and Youth” organised by Nari Maitree at the Kobi Shamsur Rahman Seminar Hall of Bangla Academy on Wednesday (September 17).

She said, “I thank the Ministry of Health for bringing the amendments to the Cabinet. But the excuse of revenue is causing delays in passing them. We have formed a high-level committee and held two meetings. However, the lobbying power of tobacco companies is so strong that we are being pushed back continuously.”

Addressing the youth, she said, “Just as we were able to drive fascism out of the country, we must pass the proposed amendments to the Tobacco Control Act and eradicate tobacco from the country in the same way.”

She further said, “The amendment proposals made by the Ministry of Health are very specific and can ensure effective tobacco control. I pledge that from my position I will do everything possible to see the proposed amendments passed.”

At the meeting it was informed that the existing Tobacco Control Act 2005 (amended in 2013) has several proposed amendments from the Health Services Division to bring it into greater alignment with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Key proposals include: eliminating designated smoking zones in public places, a complete ban on the display and advertisement of all tobacco products, protection of youth from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, banning the sale of single sticks of cigarettes and bidis, prohibiting tobacco companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR), and increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packaging to 90 percent.

On November 7, 2024, the draft Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance was presented at a meeting of the Advisory Council. In that meeting, a high-powered advisory committee was formed under the leadership of the Finance Adviser to review and finalize the draft. However, recently it has been observed that tobacco companies are influencing this committee in various ways to obstruct the process. It was also noted that the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to hold a meeting with tobacco companies.

In this regard, Sheikh Momena Moni, Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division, said in her special guest remarks, “In 2004, Bangladesh became the first signatory of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and in 2008 we also endorsed the guidelines for implementing Article 5.3. This article clearly states that policy-making must be kept completely separate from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. Yet we see that the NBR has decided to sit in discussions with tobacco companies on September 23. This is a direct violation of the international treaty. Therefore, this decision must be immediately cancelled.”

Professor Dr. Golam Mohiuddin Faruque, President of Bangladesh Cancer Society, said, “Tobacco companies are falsely claiming that the government will lose huge revenue if the proposed amendments are passed quickly. The reality is completely different. Since the passage of the Tobacco Control Act in 2005 and its amendment in 2013, government revenue has increased 12.5 times over the last 18 years. At the same time, between 2009 and 2017, tobacco use decreased by 18 percent. This clearly shows that government revenue does not decline even if tobacco consumption decreases.”

He added, “Those who produce and trade tobacco are building mountains of profit at the cost of human lives. Profits can never be more important than citizens’ lives. More importantly, the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases far exceeds the revenue the government collects from tobacco companies. Therefore, in order to protect public health, the amendment to the Tobacco Control Act must be passed urgently.”

Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Director General of the National Tobacco Control Cell, said, “Tobacco is killing 442 people every day. Tobacco companies have turned these deaths into a political game. To end this politics, the first and foremost necessity is the amendment of the Tobacco Control Act. Therefore, I strongly demand the immediate passage of the proposed amendments.”

Youth advocate of Nari Maitree, Mahmudul Hasan Hamim, said, “Tobacco companies deliberately target us young people. They believe that if they can get this generation addicted to smoking from a young age, they will remain smokers for at least 60 years. To stop this devious strategy of tobacco companies, I demand the immediate passage of the proposed amendments.”

The meeting was presided over by Shaheen Akhter Dolly, Executive Director of Nari Maitree, and was attended by representatives from Anti-Tobacco Mothers’ Forum, Teachers’ Forum, Youth Forum, and various media outlets.

They collectively demanded that the draft amendment to the Tobacco Control Act, formulated by the Health Services Division, be passed as soon as possible to build a healthy, tobacco-free nation.