Menu Rahmah is an initiative introduced by the government recently to ease the burden of the B40 community. The initiative has generally been well-received by many Malaysians, with many restaurants taking part in the initiative.
A politician, however, is not fond of the introduction of Menu Rahmah, as she fears the food may open door to illnesses, such as cancer and autism.
PAS’s Dr Halimah Ali recently said in Parliament that while she has zero issues with the word “Rahmah”, she has concerns about the quality assurance of the food.
“As a medical doctor, I’m worried about the food security issues. We don’t want shortcuts, we don’t want to compromise on low quality food supply,” she said in Parliament.
Dr Halimah also said that she does not want to see the B40 group of people receiving low-quality food supplies, which may expose them to cancer, autoimmune diseases, autism and other diseases.
Her statement has been reshared online by many Malaysians, including Pakatan Harapan’s Dr Kelvin Yii, who asked Dr Halimah for clarification on the relationship between food and autism.
“As a medical doctor, I would like to ask, what food causes autism? Please explain.”
“This is an insult towards Menu Rahmah”
In the meantime, many other Malaysians were baffled to hear such a statement from Dr Halimah and said that it was an insult towards the government’s initiative.
“It’s an insult towards Menu Rahmah. This is an insult towards the vendors who prepare the food. Just be quiet and don’t insult B40 like us.”
“She has 6 children who are all doctors, are you telling me none of them explained to their mother nicely? When you’re obsessed with politics, everything can be twisted into political mileage.”
“Is she saying that Menu Rahmah threatens food security in Malaysia? As a food security researcher, I really want to know how. I might even publish my findings for high-impact journals.”
“This is the quality of our opposition party. They only know how to play politics. Skip!”
Sebagai Dr perubatan, saya nak tanya, makanan apakah yang dimakan boleh mengakibatkan autisme?
Tolong jelaskan.. https://t.co/0wevEgHEcY
— Kelvin yii (@Kelvinyii88) February 15, 2023
To our friends in the F&B sector, what do you think of Dr Halimah’s statement? Is she merely pointing out a possibility or is it an insult?
Also read: Penang’s Oldest Nasi Kandar Restaurant, Hameediyah Will Serve Menu Rahmah Starting 1 March
