Unempathic reply by canteen contractor turns food poisoning at MRSM into PR disaster

 

THE recent food poisoning incident at Mara Junior Science College would have been another run-of-the-mill story, if not for the lack of empathy displayed by Datin Nurul Amira Binti Ahmad Yunan, the canteen contractor.

In a post on X by JalalMisai, she was reported saying, “Can we stop lizards from defecating, doctor?”

This was in response to Majlis Amanah Rakyat Chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki when he questioned her. 

To recap, a total of 31 students had food poisoning after consuming food from the canteen with some having to be rushed to the hospital.

An inspection followed, and it was discovered that there were lizard and rat droppings at the premises, including maggots in the students’ meal.

According to Asyraf, he further found out that the canteen did not comply with MARA’s standards, such as lacking the staff manpower and failure to follow the set daily menu besides the very glaring issue of kitchen cleanliness.

Apparently, Amira’s arrogance came from her social standing, being the wife of a General of Division 1 Askar Tanah Melayu.

But Asyraf was having none of that. In a strongly worded statement, he said he was ignorant of status when it comes to issues pertaining to safety and health of the students of MRSM.

He added that strict action will be taken. He had since directed the MARA law division to immediately end the services of the contractor.

Reading through the comment section of the post, it was obvious he had the blessings of the majority.

Netizen Yi KbnL also wondered if the canteen had a halal certificate, considering the unhygenic environment in which food was prepared.

Another netizen suggested that the title of her husband be revoked. We feel that this may be a little too harsh considering that the fiasco was caused by the actions of the wife.

Perhaps Amira would do well to take care of the image of her husband considering his high standing in society.

One netizen highlighted the disparity between the contributions her husband had made for the country, fighting to protect the people while his wife was embroiled in a PR disaster.

Netizen Powerofx raised a fine point about the corrupted system that inhibits efficiency from occuring.

Is it that difficult for us to find a more responsible contractor to serve the students of Mara Junior Science College?

In our take, anyone capable of making such a statement should not have anything to do with food preparation, food distribution or anything that has to do with food in the first place.

We do agree with Amira that canteen operators are unable to stop lizards from holding in their poops.

But the simple idea is to keep the place clean so it does not attract lizards and rats in the first place. When that happens, then the lizards and rats could do the pooping elsewhere.

That is how things work, and it is common sense and not rocket science. Getting the lizards to hold in their poops, however, now that should be complicated. – Focus Malaysia