Following the controversy over Malaysian-made Timah whisky, Amanah vice-president Mujahid Yusof Rawa said a “liquor policy” was needed to ensure that issues related to alcohol would not be politicised over and over again.

“The lesson from the issue of the Timah whisky is that there needs to be assertiveness by the government to preserve the good name of Islam and its position in the country,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

He added that the prime minister and his Cabinet needed to state their stand on the matter to ensure the name of Islam in Malaysia was not tarnished, without denying the rights of non-Muslims.

He said the liquor policy should cover five matters:

• Banning Muslims from being involved in the processing, sale, transport and serving of alcohol, and other related activities;
• Banning any promotion of alcohol in order to respect Islam as the country’s official religion;
• Protecting the sensitivities of Muslims in all alcohol-related activities that involve non-Muslims, including the holding of events and the choice of brand names and symbols;
• The rights of non-Muslims when it comes to alcohol and related matters need to be kept clear of political exploitation; and
• Law enforcement at the local government to federal levels needs to be tightened and improved to manage any “negative effects” of alcohol.

If these five guidelines were followed, the Parit Buntar MP said there would have been no issue with Timah, as it would have been rejected from the start.

He added that the promotion of Timah as a Malaysian product was bad for Islam’s image as the official religion of the country.

Mujahid was the Islamic affairs minister under the former Pakatan Harapan government.

Previously, the company producing Timah explained that the name referred to tin, which was extensively mined in colonial Malaya and the man shown on the label was Captain Speedy, a British colonial officer known for his role in ending the Larut Wars in Perak.

Certain parties had claimed that the name Timah could be construed as referring to Fatimah, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, and be regarded by Muslims as being offensive. Some also claimed that the headgear donned by Speedy looked like a Muslim “kopiah”.

Yesterday, Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive director Shaun Cheah said there was no need for Putrajaya to intervene in the way people ran their businesses unless it was proven that they intended to cheat customers.

“If the government continues to micro-manage businesses and react to the silliest of complaints, then it is not helping businesses,” he told FMT.