PUTRAJAYA — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has requested a report on the issue of halal certification and wants it to be presented at the Cabinet meeting next week, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil today.

He said that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar had been asked to prepare the report on the matter and to look into the next steps that can be taken.

“The issue of halal certification is indeed discussed from time to time, especially in terms of implementation, but regarding policy, we need to wait for the presentation by the Minister of Religious Affairs next week,” he said at a press conference here today.

On Sept 6, Mohd Na’im was reported as saying that the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) was considering a proposal to make halal certification mandatory for restaurants and food companies that did not serve pork and alcohol.

The issue sparked controversy when Seputeh MP Teresa Kok was reported as saying that the implementation of halal certification should be voluntary to allow operators to make decisions based on market demand, not by compulsion. — BERNAMA