Timah issue shows need to respect each other, says Amanah MP

 

Salahuddin Ayub, talking about sensitivities, gave an example of not sacrificing a cow in front of his Hindu neighbour.

KUALA LUMPUR: An Amanah MP, discussing the controversy over Timah whisky, said today that respect for one another was crucial in Malaysia.

Salahuddin Ayub (PH-Pulai) gave an example of a Muslim not sacrificing a cow in front of his Hindu neighbour, even though it was the Muslim’s right to sacrifice a cow at Aidil Adha.

“I can sacrifice it in front of my house but it would not be right to do so,” he said, making a point about respect for his neighbour’s religious beliefs.

“It’s the same with (the name) Timah. We live in a country with Malay Muslims. So, be sensitive,” he said while debating the 2022 budget at the Dewan Rakyat.

Salahuddin said there were no restrictions on non-Muslims manufacturing and drinking liquor “but Malaysian Muslims are sensitive to the name of the whisky”.

During the debate, domestic trade and consumer affairs minister Alexander Nanta Linggi interjected, saying that the name was a small issue in Sabah and Sarawak. “The fact is the name Timah is a reference to tin mining,” he said.

Critics of the Timah whisky have said the word appears to be an abbreviation of the name Fatimah, while objections were also raised about the image of a man on the label which was deemed to resemble an aged Muslim man wearing a kopiah (skull cap).

The manufacturers have said Timah means tin in Malay and is a reference to tin mining which fuelled the country’s early success in development, and the image is of Capt Tristram Speedy of Larut, a colonial administrator linked to tin mining there.

On Saturday, the Cabinet agreed to bar the production of goods with brand names that can affect the sensitivities of people of any race or religion. - FMT