YOURSAY | ‘It’s just politics and publicity-seeking for youth leaders.’

PKR Youth urges thorough probe into halal logo misuse on ham sandwiches

Sandwich row: Akmal, Woo suggest alternative career paths for each other

Letdown since 2018: It is all just politics and publicity-seeking by Umno Youth leader Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh and DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong over the issue of the “ham” sandwich.

One is portraying a holier than thou or as the holiest politician to woo Malay support.

The other is now making some noise because of his party's upcoming election in March after being muted for so long as not to rock the boat.

In politics, any publicity is good besides what it is about. The main thing is to get one's name reported for political advertising.

Other senior politicians have been constantly doing this and have ascended the political ladder so these young rabble-rousers are just following their lead.

Bornean: The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has already announced that they will investigate why all these attention seekers are coming out with statements now.

Is the general election going to take place soon? Worried that your bosses will not pick you?

KK Voter: In the case of the socks, both KK Mart and their supplier erred, and action was rightly taken according to the law, though many may not like it.

However, in this case, I hope KK Mart will take legal action to the full extent of the law against their supplier if it is true the supplier used their name on the label without permission just like they used the halal logo without permission.

If they win the case, they should then take action against Akmal and possibly Jakim. Jakim took action against Shake and Bake Café on Jan 10, as reported by the press, without naming the company.

Yet, somehow, Akmal got his hands on the sandwich and posted about it yesterday, two days after Jakim's raid on Jan 10, where they did not name the manufacturer and certainly did not mention any retailer involved.

So, how did Akmal know where to look, and how did he know that KK Mart was carrying the product?

Did someone in Jakim leak this information to him so he could play the communal hero?

While the supplier is most probably guilty and deserves to be charged if proven so, this entire story is playing out like an opportunistic political drama by radicals.

I am not taking sides between the supplier and KK Mart.

If they can prove in court that KK Mart authorised the use of their logo on the product, then KK Mart is also guilty of mislabelling. This is why the legal action taken by KK Mart is a good thing.

IndigoKiwi9570: Jakim should hire Akmal as a halal enforcement officer.

That position would suit him better than youth chief. Youth chiefs are supposed to have positive traits and qualities that bring the races together in harmony and serve as good role models for youths.

Drkam: For someone with formal education and a medical degree - and who’s probably travelled abroad - Akmal’s narrow definition of ham is, frankly, a bit alarming.

He seems to think “ham” only equals “pork,” which makes me wonder if he skipped the culinary section of his travel guides.

Here’s the thing, ham can be beef, turkey, or even chicken.

It’s just a cured leg of whatever animal you choose. But his fiery rhetoric could mislead those who rely on catchy speeches instead of Google.

We wouldn’t want a whole group of people walking around thinking “beef ham” is some secret code for “haram mystery meat”.

Maybe someone should send him a care package - with a turkey ham sandwich and a dictionary.

Knucklehead: Politicians often overuse phrases like “understand the sensitivities of Muslims and Malays” as a manipulative tactic to garner votes and stir up sympathy.

Akmal and PAS have mastered this rhetoric to serve their agendas.

If this continues, the resulting brain drain will leave Malaysia struggling to fill even basic roles, forcing us to rely on foreign labour.

The biggest loser will be the Malays, and it is already starting to show economically.

Keep it up Akmal, you're doing a fantastic job at undermining the country's future.

Doubtful: What makes the non-Malays angry is the over-sensitivity of these weak people and the high-handedness in which they misuse their power in tackling such issues.

They display zero sensitivity to the feelings of the non-Malays and make sure to show that they are the big bully in town because they have the power.

MarioT: Though sensitivity is involved, there has to be a sensible way to deal with it.

Shouting and throwing accusations at each other and trying to gain popularity only worsens the situation.

It has already been brought to the attention of the people concerned and action is underway. Let it rest and let us move on.

BlueFish0451: If a halal certification has not been obtained for an item, just don't use the halal logo on the item as it is illegal to use the official halal logo without approval.

Let the consumers decide if it is safe for their consumption based on the current information.

You are deceiving the consumers through illegal means by illegally using the logo.

Like it or not, it is the law. Businesses have no other choices.

RR: In a multi-religious world with various races and cultures, it is for people to pick up their food items according to their wishes and desires.

Just as Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, Hindus are forbidden to eat beef. For this to be effective, suppliers and manufacturers must state the product ingredients on the labels.

Here they must be honest to respect the sensitivity of the religious group and action must be taken against defaulters.

People then can make their own choices as per their needs.

This could have helped prevent a confrontation between those young politicians.

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