The issue with the ham sandwich product using a Halal logo has been making a lot of noise lately, leading the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Costs of Living (KPDN) to raid the store and pull it off the shelves.
Former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin voiced his frustration with some parties who don’t want to discuss halal certification, even though it’s a sensitive topic for Malaysian Muslims.
“The word ‘ham’ and using halal certificate alone is sensitive”
Khairy, along with co-host Shahril Hamdan, shared their thoughts on the issue during their Keluar Sekejap podcast, where Khairy pointed out that some even laughed and called Malaysian society old-fashioned for discussing it in detail.
He went on to explain that the issue isn’t going away, as there will always be ham sandwiches. Using a halal logo without a halal certificate is more about inspection and following the law, but it gets tricky because of sensitivities.
“Just the word ‘ham’ and using a halal certificate makes it really sensitive for Muslims. So, I don’t agree with people saying not to make a big deal about it. For instance, if a leader tries to bring it up and someone tells them to stay quiet, I’m not okay with that.”
“We can’t afford to lose trust in halal certification”
Meanwhile, Shahril Sufian pointed out that using the halal logo without approval is a big issue, as the country can’t afford to lose trust in halal certification.
“Imagine if people just started slapping halal certificates on stuff without approval. It would definitely worry Muslims here and damage the credibility of the halal stamp. Plus, it would confuse Muslims,” he explained.
You can watch the full video down below:
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