THE HALAL HARAM ACT SHOULD BE INTRODUCED – CAP

The Halal Haram Act should be introduced, says the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP). This rule will ensure that producers designate food items as “halal” more responsibly. Currently, consumers are required to provide evidence that a product is halal.

CAP has demanded the Halal Haram Act for more than 30 years. CAP participated in several discussions on the subject, but more progress has yet to be made thus far. The authorities have long neglected the process of creating laws and policies.

According to numerous reports, the use of halal logo abuse was recorded in December 2020. The news that a cartel had allegedly been paying off Customs agents to import and sell meat that had not been slaughtered following Islamic law or that had been obtained from unrecognized sources stunned the country.

The cartel repackaged the frozen beef in the southern state of Johor after importing it from China, Ukraine, Brazil, and Argentina. Some imports contained kangaroo and horse meats, which were combined with and sold as halal beef. Muslim customers were outraged, claiming this was sacrilegious to their Islamic beliefs.

According to reports, the meat cartel has been paying off senior government officials to enter Malaysia with non-certified meat and sell it as halal-certified goods. It was discovered that the cartel, active for more than 40 years, imports meat from slaughterhouses in some nations without halal certification.

The cartel bought off several government officials.

It was claimed that members of this cartel bought off employees of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, the Veterinary Services Department, the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Service, and the Royal Malaysian Customs. 

The responsible minister first disregarded these reports, but after widespread public indignation, the police detained two business directors of a Johor-based corporation.

Source:

Audrey Dermawan. News Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/03/780466/cap-calls-introduction-halal-haram-act