Govt mulling RCI on meat cartel

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri today assured that the government is committed to addressing the issue of imported frozen meat bearing fake halal logos as soon as possible, including through the possibility of setting up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI).

Zulkifli, the minister in charge of religious affairs, said discussions have begun and will continue until the issue is resolved.

“We will discuss with Jakim (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia), Halal Jakim and several ministries to see where the weaknesses are for us to fix.

“I promise immediate action will be taken within Jakim’s standards and jurisdiction,” he told reporters after inspecting a centre for imported frozen meat in Kuala Lumpur today.

On the setting up of the RCI, Zulkifli asked to be given time to discuss it first.

“We need to do an in-depth study. But it will not take long, two or three days or a week for us to see the response and information on the things that we can tackle immediately,” he said.

The media had reported that a meat cartel was believed to be involved in smuggling non-certified meat from China, Ukraine, Brazil and Argentina before repackaging it with fake halal labels at a warehouse in Senai, Johor.