KLUANG: Halal certification is recognised not only in Malaysia but globally, yet DAP do not understand this, says Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
The Perikatan Nasional secretary-general said that halal (certification) has been accepted by Malaysians for a long time and would not change in the future.
“Only those from DAP do not understand that halal is used not only in Malaysia but also the whole world.
“This is an agenda that has been carried by us all this while,” he said in his speech before announcing Perikatan’s candidate for the Mahkota by-election at its main operations room in Kampung Melayu here on Tuesday (Sept 10).
The Opposition leader added that when they (the opposition) spoke out about issues like these, it was deemed as touching on the 3R (race, religion, royalty).
“And when they talk about it, it is not wrong,” he lamented.
His remarks followed Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s opposition to the proposal to require all eateries that do not serve pork or alcohol to obtain halal certificates.
It was reported that Malaysian Islamic Development (Jakim) was considering making halal certification compulsory for such restaurants and food establishments.
Kok voiced her concern that it could be burdensome to small businesses and restrict consumer freedom.
Last week, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, said that to enforce mandatory halal certification, several laws would need to be amended.
