KUALA LUMPUR – PAS has clapped back at hard-line critics blaming the Islamist party for allowing the production of Timah, an award-winning local whiskey brand that has courted controversy over its name recently.
Party deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the accusations against PAS made on social media are merely “tools” employed to discredit the party.
He said that while the alcoholic beverage is clearly in contradiction with PAS’ stance to avoid any “wrongful” deeds, it is also not a name – as has been claimed by some quarters.
“On the question of branding and logos that are confusing, PAS has consistently called on the relevant parties to re-examine the controversy,” he said.
“The Timah name is not Islamic and is not a human’s name,” he was quoted as saying in the party’s media publication Harakah.
“It is likened to a type of metal, and this becomes even more evident as the logo is a picture of a man. There are no men named Timah.”
There has been an uproar over the name Timah, with some parties claiming it is similar to a Muslim name, specifically that of Fatimah, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad.
However, Timah’s makers said the name is the Malay word for tin, harkening back to the tin-mining era during British colonial times.
“The man on our bottle, Captain Speedy (British explorer Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy), was one of the men who introduced whiskey culture back then. We do not intend for our name to stir controversy,” the manufacturer said.
“Any interpretation of our name unrelating to Malaysian tin mining is false. Timah is meant to be enjoyed by non-Muslims above the legal alcohol purchasing age.”
Tuan Ibrahim, who is also environment and water minister, said alcohol is forbidden in Islam, regardless of brand name.
“Actually, it is not a big issue, unless (critics) have no other (political) capital to attack PAS,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Kubang Kerian MP, said that PAS has consistently asked the government to review liquor brands and logos that could cause confusion in the community.
He also said opposing “evil deeds” is the responsibility of all Muslims and not PAS alone, but noted that non-Muslims have a right to consume alcohol.
“It is better for us to educate the Muslim community to stay away from alcohol regardless of brand, but the rights and desires of non-Muslims to drink it must also be considered.”
Earlier today, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad had reiterated calls for the name to be changed.
The PAS lawmaker urged the liquor’s producer to pick another name as it has sown confusion among Muslims in the country.
Idris also expressed concerns that the use of “Timah” is aimed at normalising drinking alcoholic beverages, especially among Muslims in Malaysia.
“I agree for the name to be changed. Such provocative matters, which can cause confusion, should not happen. Alcohol is haram (for Muslims), regardless of its name.
“What is the meaning behind this name? Are they trying to normalise it? That is what we are really worried about,” Idris had said after attending a Maulidur Rasul celebration here. – The Vibes, October 19, 2021
