By Siti Nurain Ratani
KUCHING: Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) is closely monitoring all premises with halal certification for imported goods including imported meat.
Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs and Kuching North City Commission) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi said this was to ensure that everyone, especially Muslims in Sarawak, received halal and clean food based on Islamic rulings.
He also said that Jais had conducted checks on such premises in Kuching and Miri in the last two weeks.
“So far, most of the manufacturers here are using legitimate halal certification issued by Jais. The halal meat cartel scandal that happened in West Malaysia does not happen here,” he said when commenting on the halal meat cartel scandal in Malaya, after the launching of ‘Juh Tukar Unifi @Tebingan Sungai BGS’ here at Kampung Gersik on Sunday (Dec 27).
The assistant minister added that checks were carried out twice a month not only on premises but also abattoirs.
“In Sarawak, we have eight major slaughterhouses in all divisions and monitoring is done to ensure that the operators comply with the guidelines.
“A total of 550 applications for halal certificates is received each year and usually, 80 percent of the certificates are approved.
“However, Jais officers will always monitor the approved certificates so that no one misuses them. This includes checks on storages of the imported halal meat by collaborating with the Customs Department and other relevant agencies,” he added.
