KUALA LUMPUR – The issue of illegal meat cartels will be debated in the Dewan Negara in accordance with Rule 17 (1) that the proposer debate the matter for not more than 30 minutes and the government be given 30 minutes to respond, said Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim.
For the matter to be considered by the Senate, he said, as the Dewan Negara speaker, he must be satisfied that the matter raised meets three conditions – that it is specific, of public interest, and urgent.
Rais said the issue raised meets all three conditions, and allows the motion to be debated.
Earlier, Senator Asmak Husin proposed a motion on an illegal meat cartel for wrongly using the logo of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) with the intention to deceive in accordance with Article 17 of the rules of the Senate.
“I think this motion involves public interest because it involves a source of protein for Muslims who are the majority of Malaysian citizens. For the Muslim community, halal, haram, and shubhah food can influence concern about their religious faith, physical development and lives.
“It also involves the good name of the government, especially Jakim as the issuer of the halal logo, for which the products were believed to be halal not only by Malaysians but also the international community,” she said.
Asmak said the people are becoming scared and angry over the issue because to date, some popular meat product brands are said to be involved in this cartel.
Investigation on the matter has been ongoing for about a month and people want the government to provide the list of brands involved, or at least an outcome of the preliminary report, she added. – Bernama, December 29, 2020
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