ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – Wednesdays will be sugar-free days in Malaysia’s Parliament starting from the upcoming meeting, said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul.
“Every Wednesday in the coming Parliament meeting will be a sugar-free day. The ruling covers all who are in Parliament including the media,” he told reporters after an engagement session with the media in Parliament on September 25.
He said the ruling will be enforced at the start of the Parliament meeting between October 14 and December 12, and will ensure that sugar is not added to drinks such as teh tarik.
“If you want to bring in tea, you have to see if there is sugar in it or not. The move is being done so that we will become a more healthy society,” he added.
On September 8, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reminded people to take health knowledge seriously, particularly about the dangers of excessive sugar consumption.
He said Malaysia has the highest number of diabetes cases in Southeast Asia, which shows that the level of health literacy in the country remains low.
Meanwhile, Johari said he will continue with the practice of getting Members of Parliament (MPs) to go for mandatory medical examinations and to declare their health status.
“After making it mandatory, I have been getting their reports; many that I have met said that they discovered that they have illnesses following the health screenings. They are now undergoing treatment and taking medication,” he said.
He noted that MPs should be fit to serve their constituencies.
“Their health does not only affect them personally but can also affect their ability to serve the thousands of voters who had voted for them,” he noted.
In July, Johari announced mandatory health screening for all MPs, which have to be completed by November.
