What the Federal government is afraid to do, the Johor Sultan has done.
On October 30, the Cabinet decided not to ban vaporizers or e-cigarettes but with the instruction from the Sultan, Johor will become the first state in the country to ban the vapes.
The Sultan has passed down the instruction on health considerations. Banning vapes should have been something executed by the Federal government but why has the government backed down on this?
To a very large extent, this could have something to do with its political considerations.
The Sultan also said the order had nothing to do with any particular race, and was disappointed that some politicians had tried to raise ethnic and political threats on this issue, hinting at Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in particular, and other leaders.
Sabri has voiced his strong objection to the health ministry's proposal that vapes could only be sold at pharmacies, arguing that such a move would affect the businesses of many young Malay traders.
In the meantime, the Malaysian Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Association (Ikhlas) has also filed a police report on health ministry enforcement officials raiding vape businesses in town, threatening that the Barisan Nasional government would lose up to one million votes in the next general election.
When our politicians are talking about issues pertaining to public interests, it is very common for them to throw in the racial factor. There is no way for the government and country to undergo effective transformation if such a mentality is not changed.
For instance, when Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said in Parliament that Malays had difficulty owning land and houses, especially in Penang and Selangor. As a matter of fact, many lower- to middle-income individuals in the country cannot afford their own properties, not just the Malays.
Sabri voiced his support for vapes because he wanted young bumi entrepreneurs to bring Malaysia's vape business to greater heights, but the thing is, vapes are not the only thing that could lift our global status.
Why don't we come out with something like Alibaba.com, Facebook or Apple to make the country proud?
Sabri has also pressed on with his infatuation with Low Yat 2 at the Mara Building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, with all the shoplots wholly-owned by bumi companies.
If the minister is drawing a distinct line between the bumis and non-bumis, how is he going to help the traders at Low Yat 2 expand their businesses?
It is impossible for Umno to fulfill the objectives of bumi economic agenda without setting their sights higher than this.
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin pointed out recently that it was essential for the government to train and assist more bumi entrepreneurs so that they could really control the country's economy, and this issue is set to become one of the agendas of this year's Umno Youth assembly.
Our ministers' remarks might signal more bumi assistance schemes from the government. Umno is now in the midst of a tough leadership crisis and it is understandable that the party is set to exploit the racial card to stay in power.
Indeed, the government has strived to help bumi entrepreneurs succeed in their endeavours.
Unfortunately it has overlooked some other very important factors, such as market expansion, the establishment of good rapport with business allies, product and service quality, and most importantly company management. The National Feedlot Corporation and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fiascos should serve as very important lessons.
On the vape issue, it appears that a Malay ruler has at least moved ahead of the government, showing that our political leaders are no longer able to effectively and speedily respond to the challenges encountered by ordinary citizens. – mysinchew.com, December 2, 2015.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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