13
november-december. 2019 | @Halal
YB Fuziah Salleh
tells about
how better
communication
must be created
between
relevant
agencies and
ministries
in issues
pertaining to
Islamic law and
halal.
News about the White Rabbit Candy circulated in
Sept 2019, following Fuziah’s announcement on
the confirmed testing and result.
@Halal got YB Fuziah Salleh to comment
on the matter. “The issue in regards to why
JAKIM didn’t make an announcement was
a technical one. JAKIM simply didn’t have
the authority to make an official statement
because the manufacturer of the candy never
claimed nor applied for a halal status.”
And although most Malaysians were
already in the loop regarding the matter,
doubt was still on everyone’s mind regarding
the candy’s halal status in the country.
Fuziah felt responsible to give an official
statement and clear the air, therefore an
obligatory official lab testing process was
done through our National Chemistry
Department prior to her announcement in
September this year. The result was once
again positive for porcine gelatin.
The issue at hand
It is unfortunate that issues such as this could
occur, and even more so when the proper
authority didn’t act fast enough for the good
of the public.
“It is most unfortunate that the news
came into my attention later than it should
have been, hence the late announcement
from my part. The way information is being
transferred among the government depart-
ments is in need of a major improvement,”
says Fuziah.
Be more vigilant
Issues such as this can be detrimental in a
multi-cultural setting such as Malaysia. As
the authorities continue to strive for improve-
ments, the responsibility needs to be picked
up by the public to be more vigilant in halal
matters.
“As a member of the authority, I will do
everything in my power to improve the way
the system works. However, I advise Muslims
in Malaysia to play the responsible part in
selecting halal food and consumables.”
She continues: “Parents should educate
children about consuming food and drinks
that are halal, and to steer away from ones
that doesn’t have any halal certification. It
is through this that issues such as the white
rabbit candy could be avoided if not prevented
completely.”
She also advises Malaysians to be very
careful towards China-made food products
in general.
Striving for
improvement
Ministries and authorities involved in Islamic matters and
halal has been working in silos, the creation of the Malaysian
Halal Council aims to improve the system
Matters regarding the shariah law and halal in
Malaysia is one to be handled with care, given how
the country is a Muslim-majority country with
access to diversity in food products and beyond.
When it comes to halal matters, the Department
of Islamic Development (JAKIM) has been the
spearheader and pioneer. However because of their
role in halal, other aspects that may lead to a halal
dispute puts JAKIM on the spotlight - even when
they do not have authority over the matter in the
first place.
This burdening issue has led to the creation of
the Malaysian Halal Council (MHC), an initiative by
the Malaysian Management and Development of
Halal Industry Special Cabinet Committee under the
Prime Minister’s Department.
As of the writing of this article, the MHC consists
of 13 Malaysian Islamic agencies responsible
in coordinating the country’s halal industry
development.
Previous system was territorial
According to Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religion), YB Fuziah Salleh,
the agencies and ministries involved in halal
matters previously worked in silos.
“The various agencies have been working
separately for a long time without continuous
communication between them. This proves to be
inefficient, especially when it leads to a dispute over
halal products among the Malaysian public.”
She paints an example, where JAKIM have always
been the one to blame if a particular food outlet is
having difficulty in getting halal certification.
“JAKIM’s role is to provide establishments with
halal certification, and to receive halal certification is
to adhere to a set number of requirements. JAKIM
doesn’t provide training and consultancy for said
establishment to adhere to those set number of
requirements however.”
She adds that other agencies could take that
responsibility in providing training and consultancy
for establishments in receiving their halal
certification. “This is why the need for us to work
across agencies instead of only focusing on our
‘territories’.”
According to her, there has been a number of
times when information was left hanging without
actions being taken upon it, due to how separate the
agencies worked.
The candy conundrum
Another example of an inefficient working system
was displayed during the White Rabbit Cream
Candy fiasco.
“The issue had impacted not only JAKIM, but
other agencies such as the Ministry of Domestic
Trade and Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of
Health. However, no actions were being made to
tackle the doubt growing among the public at the
time.”
There was no finger-pointing done by Fuziah,
but she does feel like the matter could have been
handled better if all affected agencies have had
better synergy between them.
“The only regret I had with the candy issue was
that I was not aware of it when it surfaced the first
time. Only when the second wave of news circulated
on social media was I able to respond.”
Challenging steps ahead
The compartmentalised way of working between
agencies and ministries was the driving force
for the creation of MHC, and Fuziah says that
improvements will be a challenging task to
implement.
Plans have been put in place, most fortunately.
“We have had several dialogues with relevant
agencies and ministries to have a more systematic
communication between us. Information on issues
must be circulated effectively throughout all
relevant agencies and ministries on a timely basis,
so that the right authoritative party can take action.”
She states that change will not be easy, and it will
need continuous effort and initiative by all the bodies
involved.
Consumer’s rights and responsibility
Although the authorities have a responsibility to
clarify any disputes regarding halal and the Islamic
values in general, consumers must also hold dearly
to their rights and responsibilities.
Fuziah tells that when it comes to issues of a
product’s halal status, the consumers must be more
aware and careful in their selection.
“For Muslims, it is the way our parents brought
us up. We have always been taught to mind our
manners when we eat, when we meet other people,
when we talk to our elders. The same values should
be taught when it comes to consuming food and
drinks that are halal.”