Why no fuss when not all nasi kandar, mamak outlets have halal certification?

 

MAMAK and nasi kandar restaurants are an essential part of Malaysian food scene for they provide delicious fare that is enjoyed by all walks of life. And some eateries even operate round-the-clock.

These eateries are typically Indian-Muslim owned, hence there is the unspoken belief that all halal requirements will be adhered to, especially with regard to food ingredients.

As such, many have actually capitalised on such public perception loophole to operate without official halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).

However, halal certification – as often been pointed out – goes beyond mere ingredients but also encompasses cleanliness in terms of food handling/preparation hygiene at the premises.

Above all else, it has also become a cunning ploy to display Quranic verses at restaurant premises as a hint that the establishment has a halal status. Worse yet, some of these restaurants are not even Muslim-owned!

Issues surrounding halal and haram of dining establishments are a trending topic, especially when popular non-Muslim owned restaurants are shown to NOT have the necessary certification.

So the question is why isn’t there a similar fuss kicked up when supposedly Muslim-owned eateries do not possess halal certification?

Shocking, disgusting revelation

The latest incident to set tongues wagging on social media was the recent forced closure of a popular establishment in Seremban – RB Bistro Nasi Kandar.

Highlighted on the Halal Inquiry Facebook page, it was revealed that the authorities had conducted an inspection on the premises on Feb 3. Not only did they find the premises to be cockroach-infested, the famed nasi kandar restaurant had been operating sans license!

It was reported that the premises was found to be dirty and there was no cleaning schedule. Staff also did not have the requisite typhoid jabs. The restaurant was fined and forced to close till Feb 17.

The post has since generated 1.8K likes, 503 comments and 311 shares at the of writing with many commenters expressing shock, horror and disgust that such a popular eatery could openly flout the law for so long.

Editor’s Note: RB Bistro is also believed to be the restaurant guilty of recycling leftover food – an incident that has shocked Malaysian foodies.

Many were simply in disbelief that RB Bistro didn’t even have a trading license nor one to display advertising signboard.

Some wondered just what the municipal authority – the Seremban City Council – was doing? Were they blind to this famous restaurant operating in the heart of town?

Of course, there were insinuations of under table money at play.

Some commenters questioned the severity of the penalties. Was a 14-day closure stiff enough punishment given the many offences committed?

One commenter simply contended this was the reason his family gave mamak restaurants a wide berth unless they have a Grade A rating for cleanliness.

The issue of race again reared its ugly head here with some commenters pointing out that many mamak restaurants hired non-Muslim staff from India and Nepal. The authorities were urged to ensure that such restaurants have halal certification.

A few questions this episode raises. Firstly, the hiring of non-Muslim staff is NOT in itself a crime. Them being workers does NOT make or break an establishment’s halal status.

As is often pointed out, halal certification is also dependent on cleanliness and plenty of Muslim-owned restaurants fail in this aspect. Hence, these Muslim-owned restaurants don’t just lack halal certification but are essentially NON-HALAL.

Secondly, it beggars belief that such a well-known restaurant could be operating sans license without the authorities noticing. Such lapses in enforcement only invites a cynical public to cast aspersions.

Thirdly, Malaysian consumers themselves must be proactive. If they turn a blind eye to cleanliness issues, then it’ll just be business as usual. 

- focus Malaysia