Nanta asks Amanah deputy president to understand the views of Sabah, Sarawak communities over Timah whisky issue

KUALA LUMPUR: A Sarawak minister pleaded with a senior Parti Amanah Negara leader to help resolve the issue over the controversial name of the “Timah” whisky among his party members.

“Can YB help me appeal to Amanah members, as I heard recently of demands by Amanah for a revision of the policy on alcohol.

“Please have the political will to help.

“I am not saying it’s a trivial matter, but it is not necessary to make it (Timah) an issue as it has given rise to worries among the communities in Sabah and Sarawak,” says Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi (pic) said in Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Nov 1).

Nanta, who is Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, said this when he interjected Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub (PH-Pulai) during his debate on Budget 2022.

Salahuddin, who is Amanah deputy president, however, replied that the issue was one of “mutual respect” and not just about the law.

“The key here is mutual respect. What is important is mutual respect and not about being tolerant where one pushes a little and the other takes a little,” he added.

“We can argue about whether it is tin or tin ore.

“But we live in a country where there are Muslims who are sensitive over the name,” he said.

Salahuddin insisted that the issue should be resolved through mutual respect.

He noted that Islam does not prohibit non-Muslims from manufacturing or consuming alcohol.

Last Thursday (Oct 28), Nanta announced that the company manufacturing the Timah whisky has agreed to consider changing the name and image on the label of their product.

He said the company Winepak Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd, has asked for one week to discuss with its stakeholders and board of directors on changing the name and image on the product.

The whisky Timah has courted the wrath of PAS and other Islamic groups in the nation due to its Bahasa Malaysia name.

Critics also argued that the portrait on the label of the Timah whisky bottle looked like a man wearing a Muslim skullcap.

However, the manufacturer explained that the name Timah referred to tin mining in colonial Malaya, while the man on its label is Captain Tristram Speedy, an English Officer in Malaya during the British Colonial era.