KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil has called on the government to disclose the names of companies and products related to the smuggling of non-halal frozen meat into the country, dubbed “meat cartel” scandal.
He said that due to the sensitivities of the issue which affects the Muslim population of the country, the public needs to know which products to avoid.
“To avoid misunderstanding and confusion in the community about the meat supplier which did not comply with the regulations, there is a need to expose the names of the companies and its products so the people could not buy it.
“Also, if the products are still on the market, it could be disposed,” he told a press conference after lodging a police report regarding the issue at Pantai police station here.
Fahmi also called on ministries including the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry as well as the minister in charge of Religious Affairs to act now in ensuring those who are implicit in the scandal be brought to justice immediately.
He also said he agrees with the call by several quarters to restructure the Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim) — the body responsible with halal certification int he country.
“I ask for the religious affairs minister Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad to ‘rest’ [Jakim’s] top officials so that investigations could be done smoothly,” he said.
Fahmi had led Lembah Pantai’s PKR and Parti Amanah Negara, along with six others NGOs including Pertubuhan Insan Marhaen Wilayah Persekutian, Pertubuhan Generasi Keadilan Malaysia, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Harmoni Ikhwan and Pertubuhan Nadi Harapan Malaysia in lodging the report.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said it is not ruling out the involvement of reputable companies in the smuggling of frozen meat into the country.
The media previously reported on the activities of a cartel involved in smuggling frozen meat from several countries before repackaging the meat using the halal logo for the local market.
The syndicate is also said to have offered bribes to some government employees, including senior officials of certain agencies as an inducement to pass inspections at the country’s entry points.
Last week, directors of frozen meat supplier Raihanah Cold Storage Sdn Bhd, allegedly linked to the so-called cartel, was charged with using a non-certified halal logo on the company truck.
