Joint police report over poultry meat
Several Islamic non-governmental organisa ons (NGOs) lodged a police report here on Wednesday and called for ac on against a supplier of imported poultry meat.
TAWAU: Several Islamic nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) lodged a police report here on Wednesday against a supplier of imported poultry meat.
Six tonnes of chicken from the United States were seized from two supermarkets here during an operation as the items did not have any halal logo.
The operation last week at several supermarkets and hypermarkets here was led by the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department and other enforcement agencies.
The police report was jointly lodged by Badan Belia USIA Tawau and Pertubuhan Kebajikan Budiman Malaysia (PKBM) Sabah & Geng Street Dakwah (GSD), urging the enforcement authorities to take stern action against the irresponsible supermarket or hypermarket operators.
The NGOs said the irresponsible supermarkets should be charged in court.
They also requested that those found guilty should make a public apology to the Muslims in Tawau.
The Tawau communities are still in trauma upon reading the report of the non-halal products in local newspapers.
The Tawau Municipal Council (TMC) also has been urged to suspend the licence of supermarkets.
They hoped such a case would never happen again and warned the business operators to be more alert and sensitive to Muslims’ rights.
TMC president Alijus Sipil said no written application had been received from the Islam NGOs requesting for the suspension of business licence.
Tawau Usia Youth chief Mohd Ekbal Khalid, who led the NGOs, requested the supermarket and hypermarket involved to apologize publicly to the Muslim community here.
Ekbal said if they failed to do so they would request TMC to suspend the business licence, adding they would follow up with a written letter to the council if needed.
He regreted that such a thing could happen in Tawau and called on entrepreneurs to respect Muslims when it comes to ‘halal’ products, and called on the authorities to exercise vigilant enforcement.
Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sabah secretary Chan Foong Hin asked for an explanation from the relevant authorities on how banned chicken meat from the US ended up in supermarkets.
“We are not talking about banned chicken meat being sold secretly like smuggled goods. These banned chicken meats were sold openly in well-known supermarkets and hypermarkets here,” he said yesterday.
Chan, who is also the Sri Tanjong assemblyman, said issues concerning health and halal status for Muslims should always be monitored as it concerns consumers who put their trust in the authorities concerned.
“Food safety is an importance issue for discussion. It is not only about religious sensitivity but also for health reasons.
“The government cannot fail in their duty to protect the consumers’ rights,” he stressed.
Chan also demanded for answers on what will happen to the confiscated chicken meat after they were discovered during an integrated operation last week.
“It is of utmost important to ensure that none of the banned chicken meat goes back on sale in the markets. DAP is very concerned about this,” he said.
Chan also called on the ministry concerned to make a public statement on how the banned chicken meat slipped into the state.
Sabah only allows chicken meat from Holland and Denmark to be imported.