ONE fine day in the mid-1990s, a group of senior Malaysian journalists were invited to Singapore on a familiarisation trip, and one of the sessions was hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, then more popularly referred to as BG Lee.

One of the journalists, a Malay Muslim, asked the DPM why was it that fast food restaurants in Singapore were non-halal.

Lee responded by saying that it was the pertinent point as it meant that the restaurateurs were depriving themselves of 15 per cent of potential clientele, the percentage obviously referring to the Muslim population in the island republic.

He said he would take up the matter, and true enough, over the years since the fast-food outlets became halal.

Lee could have given a different response, stating that the non-halal outlets were only expected given the majority of Singaporeans were non-Muslims.

Unfortunately, in a Malay Muslim majority in Malaysia, a DAP leader had arrogantly chosen to ridicule and condescendingly described those expressing concern over the halal status of a meat product as being real idiots.

DAP’s Nga Kor Ming, a Federal Minister no less, instead of appeasing Malay Muslims that the issue over the sale of ham sandwiches should be left to the authorities to determine its “halalness”, decided to show off his grasp in the names of food products which carried non-halal names but were actually of halal source.

He cited root beer as an example which is not an alcoholic beverage.

Nga wrote: “Ham and cheese. Ham means a process of making food, and we have turkey ham and chicken ham, which is perfect for consumption. The same goes for Root Beer, which is made from sassafras root, which is non-alcoholic and good to drink. To make an issue out of it simply shows who is the real idiot.”

For a bit of background.

The issue started when Umno youth chief Akmal Saleh highlighted that Universiti Malaya students had lodged a police report over the sale of ham and cheese sandwiches which carried the halal logo in a KK Mart outlet on the university’s premises.

To Akmal, ham contains pork and questioned how the sandwich obtained a halal logo. He added that it was all right for it to be sold to non-Malays, but why did it carry a halal logo on it?

Nga decided to school Akmal on the meaning of the word ham. Others who shared his opinion pointed out that ham is a process to cure meat and that it includes the meat of other animals such as chicken, beef and turkey.

UM decided to shut down two 24-hour convenience stores on their campus due to doubts over what kind of meat was used in the stores’ ham and cheese sandwiches. They also doubted the halal logo included on the packaging.

While the debate on whether ham exclusively meant pork related or that it included other meat, enters the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim – the body authorised to issue halal status of products) which stated that the halal logo on the packaging were bogus.

KK Mart first attempted to explain that the sandwich, which was produced by a third party, had used chicken ham, which had been certified halal by Jakim.

KK Mart had, however, suspended all business dealings with the supplier of the sandwiches after concerns were raised over the use of a halal logo on their packaging.

While Nga and supporters were keen to school Akmal on the halalness of ham and that it did not refer to pork only, there is always a possibility that it does.

Hence, there isre is a need for any such product to specify that it is chicken, turkey, beef, beef or any other halal meat before the word ham.

Otherwise, to assume that ham is pork-related is not as stupid as Nga and his supporters tried to portray. They are racist and condescending for refusing to accept that if the ham is not specified in its origin, the suspicions of it being pork-related are not misplaced.

The refusal to understand the sensitivity is abhorring and reflects their lack of regard for the Malay Muslims and any attempts by the Malay Muslims to air their concern are ridiculed and mocked.

Of course, some “liberated” Malays chose to support the likes of Nga and his ilk, thinking that by being that, they would be accepted as not the idiot Malay and maybe if they were lucky, get to be treated as equals.

In fact, now that Jakim had pointed out that the company which sold the sandwiches were not certified to display the halal logo on the packaging, it is obvious that the company had chosen to trivialise the Malay concerns over halal food.

It is an outright attempt to deceive, and if Nga and his DAP backers were of any integrity, they would demand that the company face the fullest force of the law and never be allowed to involve itself in the food business, halal or otherwise, in Malaysia.

As for KK Mart, Akmal was correct to point out that the Malay anger towards it over the word of Allah on socks sold at its outlets had yet to dissipate and it should have been more alert in whatever it places on its shelves.

Instead, as in the case of the socks, the blame goes to the suppliers and not KK Mart.

If it apologises, based on contemporary history it may open up new opportunities and win national awards.

It can be another ticket to tag along a Government investment trip overseas. Along the way, it may even get the government’s backing to set up shop there.

Back home, Akmal and Umno remain part of the same Government.