KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Indonesia are leading discussions towards consolidating the halal logo at the global level, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said they are hoping to bring this up at the World Halal Council meeting, set to be held in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, in November this year.
“I have discussed this with our Indonesian counterparts in the past few days and we have also discussed this matter during the Kazan dialogue in Russia.
“If we have very strong willpower, it can be accepted globally. Halal is not only for Muslims but for everyone,” he said to the media after taking part in a forum discussion at the Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Economic Forum held here on Wednesday (May 28).
Ahmad Zahid, who is the Halal Industry Development Council of Malaysia chairman, said this was aimed at having only one halal logo.
“This means we may not need differing halal logos across different countries, but instead use the standard that is used by the Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim) as the benchmark on how halal certifications are issued,” he said.
“We will not compromise on halal standards. Jakim has a very high standard of halal certification as well, which has been recognised by 88 halal bodies globally, with Jakim also providing accreditation," he said.
Ahmad Zahid also said there are 40 countries that have established cooperation with Jakim on this matter.
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“Let us be on the front line so we can help other countries. We have also seen GCC countries being very committed towards Malaysia’s efforts here.
“China too has previously held discussions with us on this matter,” he said.
He said halal is not only something marketed within the region but instead globally.
On another matter, Ahmad Zahid said they are also looking to form an Asean Halal Council, alongside establishing a Halal Commission.
He said a working paper on establishing the Halal Commission is in the works.
“I am chairing the formation of this commission which will not take up any additional allocations but instead use the Halal Development Corporation to implement it,” he said.
Earlier Wednesday, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said his ministry will be bringing the working paper on the establishment of the Halal Commission to the Cabinet.
“We are currently obtaining feedback from the related stakeholders and other ministries. Once it is passed, we will reveal more details on this,” he said.
