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Last Updated: Jun 25th, 2007 - 17:07:26 |
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What we also need to realise is the true power of the press highlighting sensational stories without thinking about the impacted results it may cause people to blindly believe what they read. Do they offer apologies or make efforts to reassure readers when their story is proven untrue? |
Multicultural Malaysia was recently rocked by news that a popular bread manufacturer decided to halt its operation voluntarily for two weeks after its Nilai plant was allegedly found to be unhygienic. They were also accused of using a bread releasing agent that allegedly did not have Halal certification.
The local bread manufacturer, Stanson Bakeries Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s second largest bread manufacturer after Singapore-based Gardenia, voluntarily suspended its operation for two weeks with immediate effect after a group which included the Muslim Consumer Association of Malaysia (PPIM), the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and the Immigration Department, visited the factory on September 6.
According to Dato’ Dr. Maamor Osman, secretary general of PPIM who initiated the visit, they had allegedly received complaints about manufacturing conditions within the factory and that they had received evidence from pictures sent in by someone three weeks earlier.
Samples were taken for laboratory analysis and within two weeks, JAKIM announced that there was no DNA of animal-origin found in the releasing agent. As for being unhygienic, the claims were found to be unsubstantiated and the self-imposed ban was lifted. The company was expected to go about doing their usual business but no statement of apologies nor retractions were offered.
To Stanson Bakeries group managing director Jackson Tan, with his 35 years of experience within the bakery industry, the recent episode was simply appalling and uncalled for, especially when they have been proven innocent. “It was unprecedented in the entire world of bakery industry. What do you want me to do? Sue them? What good would that do?” he said.
“If we want to push Malaysia as a Halal hub, we cannot afford to highlight petty issues such as these, because everybody will be laughing at us,” said our sources in JAKIM. “Like the sausage casing issue last year, we even get calls from friends all over the world asking about problems with our Halal certification. It’s that serious.”
Our source went on to suggest that the government or the newly created Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) should consider screening all media releases on issues pertaining to Halal development in Malaysia. This would not only ensure consistency in every angle of reporting but would also safeguard the integrity of JAKIM’s highly regarded Halal certificates.
This is not the first time such incident has happened. What could have been settled diplomatically had in fact turned into an ugly free-for-all, which is frankly, quite embarrassing.
“This is actually history repeating itself. Two weeks after the sausage casing fiasco, JAKIM’s director general made an announcement that if there is no solid evidence, do not make accusations. The Prime Minister also interfered and ordered to stop discussing Halal issues. It did stop for awhile, but obviously not for long,” said the JAKIM officer.
Islamic adab requires us to be courteous and mindful of others around us, be it Muslims or non Muslims. If the bread maker was suspected of using non-Halal certified oil, then the next appropriate step would be to check if it was in fact non Halal, and whether it was a mere oversight or a blatant disregard of Shariah requirements.
Given that a non Muslim cannot be expected to know all the details of the Shariah, in cases of non-compliance, then we must educate them and let them make efforts to remedy the problem in good faith. The failure on our part to act diplomatically or within the norms of acceptable values only raises more questions about the true motives of such attacks.
“Recent cases have in fact shown that a certain amount of slander has taken place using the Halal aspect,” said Nordin Abdullah, director of the World Halal Forum. He reasoned that until every appropriate channel of communication has been exhausted and until conclusive evidence is produced to support the claim, there is no other logical explanation than to categorise them as slander.
Though Stanson Bakeries has already established a Halal Committee internally, this incident has pushed them to strengthen it even further. They are even considering bringing in outside Shariah scholars for full benefit. Through this, they hope to ensure an incident like this cannot be repeated, especially when they consider what is at stake - for the company as well as the country.
While Malaysia continues to push ahead in unchartered waters to promote Halal in the world arena, such slanderous acts at home should be stopped, as it is making a complete mockery of the government’s resolve to become a global Halal hub, not least in their efforts to introduce a global Halal standard for adoption by all Muslim countries.
The Halal Journal has found over time that one of the factors that has stopped the Halal industry from growing is the disputes between various certifying bodies. Fortunately in Malaysia, this is not something we have to contend with. It is something we want to rise above and harmonise and the World Halal Forum (www.worldhalalforum.org) was created for just this purpose.
With the establishment of HDC, this harmonisation process in Malaysia is set to move at a much faster rate, and in a more concerted and orderly fashion. To that effect, the new Halal body would most likely need inputs from industry players to draft its blueprint.
“Proper regulation of the Halal industry will ultimately benefit the consumer,” added Nordin. “It will ensure that products that are certified and marked Halal are in fact Halal. This should be kept in mind when a “Halal Act” is created. Any regulatory framework that is established will need to also protect the Halal industry. This will be an interesting proposition as many of the companies that are producing Halal food are either public listed or non-Muslim owned.”
Despite the recent episode, Stanson Bakeries have expressed their readiness to continue supporting the government’s vision to become a global Halal hub and to continue promoting Malaysian Halal products overseas.
“What we are proud of today is that we are producing Halal products for the region that is made by a home grown Malaysian manufacturer. Regardless of what happened, we will still try and build closer rapport with the relevant Halal authorities and we shall look forward to more interactive dialogues between the industry and the government,” said Jackson Tan.
It is high time that a more realistic sense of proportion is adopted within the Halal industry. There is a lot of development needed in the Halal industry and responsible actions by all parties are needed.
What we also need to realise is the true power of the press highlighting sensational stories without thinking about the impacted results it may cause people to blindly believe what they read. Do they offer apologies or make efforts to reassure readers when their story is proven untrue? Usually nothing is done as they are off on the next hot lead and the company in question is left to pick up the pieces and rebuild their reputation again.
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