PUTRAJAYA: The government’s clarification that halal-certified hotels and food premises are allowed to display Christmas decorations should be respected and used as a guideline to avoid confusion on the ground, says Steven Sim (pic).
The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister said the statement by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan should be the reference point to ensure consistent implementation.
“This clarification should be respected and adopted as a shared guideline so that implementation remains consistent and does not confuse traders.
“We must ensure Malaysia’s business environment continues to thrive regardless of race, religion, state or territory, including in the food and hotel sectors, which involves many small and medium enterprises,” he said in a statement on Saturday (Dec 20).
Sim added that government processes and procedures should be simplified and aligned to allow traders to operate with clarity, without facing differing interpretations of regulations.
He said this approach is part of his ministry’s ABCD Strategy, which focuses on boosting productivity, simplifying bureaucracy, expanding access to capital and strengthening market access.
Sim’s remarks came after Zulkifli clarified earlier that there are no restrictions on halal certification holders from displaying festive decorations linked to religions other than Islam, as long as halal standards are upheld.
Zulkifli said the position is in line with a decision made by the Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim) in 2023, which stipulates that holders of the Malaysian Halal Certification (SPHM) are not prohibited from using images, illustrations or decorations related to non-Islamic religious celebrations.
“However, these decorations must not affect the principles of 'halalan thoyyiban',” he said.
