A royal commission of inquiry (RCI) was the best way to investigate allegations of wrongful use of the halal logo by a meat smuggling syndicate, said the minister in charge of religious affairs Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said it was the solution preferred by many parties to address the concerns of Muslims in Malaysia.
Earlier in the Dewan Negara today, Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Rosol Wahid announced the government fully supported the proposal to set up an RCI to investigate the issue of meat smugglers who abused the halal label.
Rosol said the government viewed the issue seriously, as it was a cause of great anxiety among the people.
Zulkifli also welcomed a plan to set up a legal and halal enforcement committee with the officials of various government agencies to coordinate efforts to address issues related to halal certification.
Zulkifli said a concerned Islamic Development Department (Jakim) had visited several companies dealing in the import and production of meat.
“This effort is carried out from time to time to ensure high quality of halal certification of meat products produced in the country.
“For imported meat products, Jakim will continue to intensify efforts to ensure foreign halal certification bodies complies with its standards.”