KUALA LUMPUR -- Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he is leaving it to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reforms to shed light on the discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) granted to him in his Yayasan Akalbudi case.
The deputy prime minister said this when asked to comment on the statement by the committee’s chairman, William Leong Jee Keen, that it would summon Attorney-General (AG) Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh to provide explanations regarding the DNAA.
“The announcement was made during the Special Dewan Rakyat sitting on the 12th Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review.
“I leave it to the committee to take steps towards clarifying the issue,” he told reporters after officiating at the Halal Sector Forum 2023 here today.
At the Special Dewan Rakyat Sitting yesterday, Leong said the committee would also summon former AG Tan Sri Idrus Harun to explain the DNAA, adding that a report would be presented after the proceedings were conducted.
At the same time, Ahmad Zahid said that the procedures for obtaining halal certification should be simplified to avoid inconvenience to applicants, and this can be achieved through cooperation between religious groups, experts, and players in the halal industry.
“We must step out of our silos. We should no longer think inside the box or outside the box; we must act and think without being restricted by the box so that we can promptly implement what the prime minister has directed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said to ensure halal certification reform, the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions have offered courses based on Jakim's recommendations, particularly in the field of halal.
Through this initiative, he said MARA, through Giatmara, and several other TVET institutions have been also tasked with producing more halal auditors for the industries that produce halal products.
Moreover, he said Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) has also established courses related to the halal industry at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral (PhD) levels.
“Therefore, I call on multinational corporations (MNCs) and large companies, especially those engaged in export-oriented products or manufacturing, to employ halal auditors to ensure that halal standards and procedures are adhered to based on the professional advice and insights of these halal auditors.
“In this regard, I would like to suggest, based on the prime minister's recommendation, that synergistic steps should be taken by the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI), Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC), Jakim, Department of Standards Malaysia (JSM), and MARA to ensure prompt coordination,” he said.
Earlier, Ahmad Zahid also visited the exhibition booths at the Halal Sector Forum 2023 and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding involving MARA exhibitors. -- The Vibes, September 13, 2023
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