KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 — Gerakan questioned today the legality of the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry’s (KPDNKK) nationwide confiscation, without prior notice, of paintbrushes made from pig bristles.
Gerakan Youth deputy chief Andy Yong said he had received many complaints on KPDNKK’s “Ops Berus” and claimed most hardware shop owners did not know what the paintbrushes were made of and that some have been selling the same products for the last 10 years.
“So the issue now is, can the enforcement authorities without notice seize all the products for investigation purpose?” Yong said in a statement.
“I understand the sensitivity of the case on Muslims in particular if the brushes are swine-related. I emphasise that it is a question about the legality of such operation and seizure.
“In the event if KPDNKK do summon the shop owner or seller, Parti Gerakan Legal Team is prepared to offer our legal aid to the affected parties,” he added.
National newswire Bernama reported Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as saying yesterday that his ministry has seized 2,003 paintbrushes made from pig bristles worth almost RM11,000 in a nationwide “crackdown”.
He reportedly said the brushes were confiscated because the Trade Descriptions (Goods Made from any Part of Pig or Dog) Order 2013, which states that such products must be labelled and separated from other goods, was allegedly violated.
Punishments for violations of the Minister’s Order are RM100,000 fines, three years’ jail or both for individuals, while corporations face fines of up to RM250,000.
