THE decision to apply for halal certification should be made by eatery operators, not the Islamic development department (Jakim), said a business group. 

Johor Indian Business Association president P. Sivakumar said his organisation did not agree with any move to make it mandatory for non-Muslim eateries to obtain halal certification. 

 “We hope good sense prevails and any decision taken is only done after a meeting with all stakeholders. 

“Jakim must hold dialogues with all the stakeholders before they submit to cabinet approval before making it compulsory for any mandatory halal certification for non-Muslim eateries. 

“We also think Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must also get involved to ensure the right to apply for such a certificate is actually for the eateries to make,” Sivakumar told The Malaysian Insight. 

He added that political leaders should not be criticised or investigated for commenting on current issues. 

He was referring to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok who had come under fire from Umno and Bersatu leaders for saying halal certification should not be made mandatory. 

Anwar had said he was not pleased with Kok’s remarks, adding that the matter should have been internally discussed. 

Kok is also facing a police investigation after 50 reports were lodged against her.

On September 5, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na’im Mokhtar reportedly said Jakim was considering a proposal to make halal certification mandatory for restaurants and food companies that did not serve pork and alcohol.

The issue sparked controversy when Kok responded by saying the implementation of halal certification should be voluntary to allow operators to make decisions based on market demand. 

In response to Kok’s statement, Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh, who is also the Merlimau assemblyman, called Kok “Nyonya tua” and said the government should paste a “non-halal logo” on her forehead.  

This led to Kok issuing a legal notice demanding RM25 million in damages from Akmal over his allegedly defamatory statement. 

To escalate matters, Akmal said he was unfazed by the potential legal action and that he was ready to meet Kok in court.  

Yesterday, Kok said she had sorted out the misunderstanding with Jakim over the issue.

However, Urimai chairman P. Ramasamy, who previously defended Kok over the issue, questioned if there really was a misunderstanding over the proposal. 

“Since there is an open admission on the part of Kok and Jakim officials that the halal certification controversy was a result of misunderstanding, is the former agreeable to change her earlier stand? 

“Does she still maintain her stand that halal certification might be harsh on non-Malay and small and medium Malay restaurants?  

“Since there is admission that both Kok and Jakim might have erred in the matter of halal certification, are the police willing to drop the investigation and advise the AG accordingly? 

“There might have been misunderstanding between both parties, but such misunderstanding does not invalidate the argument of Kok,” he said in a statement.

The former Penang deputy chief minister said the introduction of mandatory halal certification might create undue problems for non-Malay and small and medium Malay restaurants. – September 13, 2024.