Halimah denies saying Menu Rahmah causes cancer

 

PARLIAMENT | Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali has denied saying that the government's Menu Rahmah initiative can cause cancer.

She said the Dewan Rakyat Hansard would prove that she did not say such a thing.

"Look at the Hansard. I did not say that the Menu Rahmah causes cancer. Check the Hansard," she said in the Lower House today.

The PAS lawmaker said this in response to a verbal attack by Sany Hamzan (Pakatan Harapan-Hulu Langat), who railed at her for saying the low-cost food menu programme could cause autism and cancer.

A check on the Hansard - the official transcript of the on-goings in Dewan Rakyat - found Halimah's (above) remarks on Feb 14, regarding Menu Rahmah as follows:

Hulu Langat MP Sany Hamzan

"I want to talk about food security. These are basic needs. We don't want- I as a medical doctor, fear that when food security is desperate, it can bewilder the government.

"We don't want shortcuts; we don't want compromises from the supply of low-quality food.

"I have no problem with the term 'rahmah' or such, but don't let it reach a point where the poor B40 are given low-quality food supply that may also cause them to be exposed to cancer, autoimmune diseases, autism, and such".

Excerpt from the Hansard

A video of Halimah's remarks had gone viral last week, after which it was widely reported by the media.

Halimah later said on Thursday that she did not mean to say that eating low-quality food could lead to a developmental disorder like autism.

Her remarks have been widely panned, including by autism-related groups.

The Menu Rahmah programme was introduced by the government in January as an effort to tackle the rising cost of living.

Under the initiative, eateries and businesses would provide meals at RM5 and below.

The programme is currently a purely business initiative with no government funding, although incentives for participating eateries are being considered.

During the royal address debate in the Dewan Rakyat today, Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) and Azman Nasrudin (PN-Padang Serai) questioned whether the programme was sustainable, and what kind of incentives the government would give to participating traders in order to keep it sustainable.