KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal wants Seputeh MP Teresa Kok to apologise to all Muslims for her recent remarks concerning a proposal to make halal certifications mandatory for all eateries that do not serve pork or alcohol.
The federal Opposition politician described her argument against making it mandatory as shallow.
“It is mandatory for Muslims to seek that which is halal. There is no shame for the country if this requirement is enforced for all eateries wishing to do business with Muslims.
“Therefore, I hope that DAP MP YB Teresa Kok will retract this statement and apologise to the Muslim community for making such a superficial conclusion,” he said in a Facebook post last night.
He added that if she failed to do so, the entire Bersatu Youth wing will file police complaints against her, allegedly for “touching on the sensitive 3R issues, as warned by the Madani government”.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal’s call for action was made after Kok weighed in on a proposal for the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) to make halal certification mandatory for all food-and-beverage outlets in the country.
In her Facebook post, the senior DAP lawmaker asked the Cabinet to reconsider Islamic Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar’s suggestion for the mandatory halal certification as it would be a financial burden on smaller business owners, including Malay Muslims.
She reminded the government that Malaysia is multiethnic, multireligious and multicultural country and that regulatory interference should be minimal to respect business and consumer autonomy as well as to uphold social diversity and inclusivity.
