PARLIAMENT | The government and opposition have discovered something in common - the popular pork rib dish bak kut teh, whose gastronomic roots have been the subject of debate between Malaysians and Singaporeans.
Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Khan (GRS-Batu Sapi) was on the same page with Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi) on the suggestion for the dish to be recognised as one of Malaysia's heritage cuisines.
Khairul (above) told the Dewan Rakyat that for a dish to be accorded recognition, it should be something that can be consumed by all Malaysians.
Earlier, Suhaimi questioned if bak kut teh should be considered a traditional Malaysian food.
"I more or less agree with what the Langkawi MP said about this. Because as a prospect the food has to be something that can be consumed by all Malaysians.
"If bak kut teh is derived from chicken, then it is okay. But in the suggestion raised by Tebrau, he did not specify the type of bak kut teh. A heritage food must be something that can be eaten by all races in this country," explained the deputy minister.
Khairul was responding to Jimmy Puah (Harapan-Tebrau), who asked whether the ministry is taking steps to ensure traditional Malaysian foods like nasi lemak, bak kut teh and laksa are recognised as national dishes in order to prevent other countries from claiming them as their own.
Puah said he was upset after watching a documentary aired by Channel News Asia, a Singapore-based news agency, which argued that the dish could have originated from the republic.
"... As we all know, bak kut teh originated from Klang, Selangor," he claimed.
However, Suhaimi found this difficult to swallow. He immediately stood up and questioned the relevance of making the popular broth a national food.
"Since when bak kut teh has become a traditional food in Malaysia? I have read the list of the 10 most popular traditional dishes in Malaysia, there was no bak kut teh mentioned.
"It is also not among the top 30 most popular foods in Malaysia. My question is, since when bak kut teh has become a traditional food and is the minister considering recognising it (as a national heritage)?" he asked.
On a related matter, former Umno leader Annuar Musa, who has applied to join PAS, did not let the chance slip to pepper the issue with a dollop of politics.
In a Facebook post, he claimed this was an attempt to introduce the "Malaysian Malaysia" policy in stages.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.