Cabinet rejects mandatory halal cert proposal, says report

 

The government has no plans to make it mandatory for restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork or alcohol to be halal-certified, according to a report in a Chinese newspaper.

PETALING JAYA: 

The Cabinet has rejected the proposal to make halal certification mandatory for restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork or alcohol, according to Sin Chew Daily.

A report by the Chinese newspaper quoted a source as saying that the Cabinet unanimously agreed to keep the halal certification on a voluntary basis.

The government will not force operators to apply for halal certification. It will be up to the operators themselves to decide whether they want to do so,

 the source said.

The source said eateries that wished to attract more Muslim customers could consider applying for the halal certificate, but reiterated that the government has no intention to make it mandatory.

On Sept 5, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar said the Malaysian Islamic development department (Jakim) was considering a proposal to make halal certification a requirement for restaurants that do not serve pork or alcohol.

DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok opposed the move, saying it could impose significant burdens on small businesses, restrict consumer freedom and clash with Malaysia’s cultural diversity.

While DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook defended the Seputeh MP’s remarks, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman, said Kok’s views on the matter were her own and did not represent the coalition’s stance.

Kok’s comments also drew the ire of several quarters, including Umno Youth, Bersatu Youth and the Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia, while the police are also probing her over her remarks.

Nonetheless, Umno president and deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said that non-Muslim business operators could not and should not be forced to obtain halal certification.

After meeting two senior Jakim officers by chance last week, Kok said the controversy surrounding the proposal was simply due to a misunderstanding by various parties. - FMT