JAKARTA: Medan’s recently issued ban on roadside sales of non-halal meat has met with a backlash as critics condemned the policy as discriminatory toward non-Muslim vendors and a threat to the North Sumatra capital’s multicultural identity.
Lamsiang Sitompul, a representative of a local pork traders’ community, called on Mayor Rico Waas to revoke the ban, warning that vendors would stage a rally in front of the mayor’s office and the local Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) building if the policy is not withdrawn.
“Mayor Rico should focus more on addressing fundamental problems in Medan, such as flooding, traffic congestion and prostitution, rather than regulating the sale of non-halal meat, which has never been an actual issue in the city,” Lamsiang said recently.
He also rejected allegations that selling pork in public spaces was unhygienic, highlighting that non-halal meat sold by street vendors had passed proper inspections and was processed at licensed slaughterhouses.
Separately, Binsar Simarmata of the Medan Legislative Council criticised the mayor for issuing the ban without prior dialogue with non-halal meat traders. “The vendors should have been invited to sit down together to seek a solution. There should not be a sudden ban that risks provoking resistance,” Binsar said on Tuesday (Feb 24).
He also cautioned the ban could escalate into a sensitive ethnic or religious issue in the city, where social life had long been relatively harmonious without significant friction among its diverse religious communities.
The rash, unilateral manner in which the ban was issued could upset the delicate social balance that had been maintained over the years, Binsar said.
According to Statistics Indonesia, Medan’s population is composed of 60 per cent Muslims, 17 per cent Protestants, 12 per cent Catholics, around nine per cent Buddhists and 0.4 percent each of Hindus and Confucianists.
The provincial capital is also home to a diverse mix of ethnic communities, including Batak, Malay, Javanese and Chinese-Indonesian.
“Medan is a multicultural city. Administrative policies must not trigger perceptions of intolerance. The ban must be reviewed or postponed until mutual understanding is reached between the city administration and vendors,” Binsar said.
Echoing his concerns was Medan councillor Hasyim, who warned that banning the sales of non-halal meat on the city’s streets could jeopardise its long-standing social harmony.
“Medan has long been recognised as a pluralistic and multicultural city [that is] home to numerous ethnic groups, religions and cultures coexisting in an atmosphere of tolerance. Public policies should never disrupt the social balance that has been carefully nurtured over the years,” he said.
The councillor also called on Mayor Rico to revoke the policy, emphasising the importance of not only maintaining religious harmony but also safeguarding the livelihoods of small-scale meat traders who relief on daily sales to earn an income.
“These non-halal meat vendors are trying to survive, not accumulate wealth. Government policies must be implemented with empathy,” said Hasyim, urging the Medan administration to consider the broader social and economic impacts of its decision.
On Feb. 13, just five days before of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan started, the Medan mayor issued a circular regulating the sale of non-halal meat across the city.
The ban strictly prohibits traders and vendors from selling non-halal meat on sidewalks, roads and other public spaces that may disrupt traffic or harm the city’s urban aesthetics, and restricts the sale of non-halal meat to enclosed facilities, such as permanent kiosks or designated markets.
Vendors are also barred from operating near houses of worship, including mosques and musholla (prayer rooms), as well as in densely populated Muslim neighborhoods. Further, it bans the dumping of blood, animal waste and contaminated wastewater into drainage canals.
Each designated sales point must provide watertight containers for storing waste and use disinfectants such as lime to eliminate odours and potential pathogens, including bacteria. They must also display clear signage indicating “non-halal meat” or “pork shop”.
On issuing the circular, Rico explained that the new policy was prompted by numerous public complaints about street vendors selling non-halal meat, including pork, dogmeat and snake meat, and their practice of disposing blood, offal and unsold meat into city drains.
“These practices generate foul odors, pose health risks from flies and can disrupt comfort in certain neighbourhoods,” the mayor said at the time. Following the backlash, however, he has responded by signalling he is open to public input.
“The Medan administration welcomes feedback from the community. I want to emphasise that this policy is not intended to ban the sale of non-halal meat, it is aimed at organising and regulating the trade. Our goal is to help all vendors operate more efficiently and professionally,” Rico said on Monday.
He added that the ban on sidewalk sales applies to all meat vendors, including those selling halal products such as chicken.
Muhammad Sofyan, government and public welfare assistant at the Medan City Secretariat, said the new policy was designed to provide both protection and certainty for all meat traders.
“The city has prepared dedicated sales [points] for vendors at the Petisah and Sambu markets, which are professionally managed by market authorities. Vendors using these spaces will also receive a one-year rent exemption to encourage them to operate in designated areas,” Sofyan said.
“We have never prohibited residents from trading in non-halal products. The purpose of this rule is to manage sales [points] in a way that prevents environmental pollution, health risks or discomfort for residents visiting public facilities, houses of worship and schools,” he added. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
