FARSIGHTED Malays have come out in droves to lend moral support to DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok who has come under ferocious attack by UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh for objecting to the Malaysian Islamic Development Department’s (JAKIM) mooting of a mandatory halal certification for alcohol/pork-free eateries.

In so doing, they lambasted the rightist Merlimau state assemblyman for merely riding in religion to gain political mileage as he rudely bombarded the six-term Seputeh MP by insulting her as Nyonya Tua (literally Old Lady) and “don’t you dare to touch our religion”.

Commenting on a post by ironically opposition-slant Solisidtor (@Solisidtor) that Akmal has gone too far by labelling Kok as “Nyonya Tua”, one sensible commenter remarked that if JAKIM gets its way, it will be inevitable for small Malay businesses like pasar malam traders or roadside burger sellers having to toe the line, too.

“See who will champion their cause when they complain about the cost of getting a halal certificate which is burdensome and so on. Think first, brother, before speaking,” he shared as one commenter reckoned that Kok’s counter-argument “is rational and can be discussed from various angles”.

In fact, few commenters also agreed that the 60-year-old DAP lawmaker has indirectly “assisted Malay food businesses” given non-halal Chinese and Indian-owned eateries already have their pool of customers”.

Many commenters also hit out at the Russia-trained medical doctor for his emotional outburst which is somehow similar to that displayed during the KK Super Mart sock saga which earned him the “King of Boycott” label.

Such behaviour, according to them, should not be condoned by the Madani government, especially when UMNO is part of the ruling coalition, hence “Akmal should be dropped as a candidate for GE16 (16^th General Election)”, more so for” having demonstrated pro-opposition tendencies”.

On the hindsight, the UMNO’s ulama council is of the view that it should not be necessary for Muslim-owned eateries to be mandated to obtain JAKIM’s halal certification.

In a Facebook post, the council’s deputy president Dr Khairuddin Aman Razali said Muslim-owned establishments can be excluded from the proposal as Muslims are already personally bound by Islamic rules on halal and haram.

However, Khairuddin’s view was rebutted by fellow Muslims as both “double standard” and that halal-ness is not merely about pork and alcohol per se but that of “halal toyyiban” given there have been cases of Muslim-owned eateries operating under unhygienic conditions.. - Sept 8, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/biz-savvy-malays-back-teresa-kok-for-indirectly-protecting-interest-of-small-muslim-fb-operators/