KUALA LUMPUR: Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok said her comments on Malaysian Islamic Development Department's (Jakim) mandatory halal certification proposal was misunderstood, causing unnecessary uproar by many parties.
Kok, in a Facebook post this evening, said she had coincidentally met Jakim's deputy director-general Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaime and Malaysian Halal Council's Secretariat director Mohd Zamri at the parliament while she was attending a Special Select Committee on Finance and Economics meeting, this morning.
She said the duo were also there at the Parliament to do a presentation about their efforts to promote halal certification.
"It appears that the controversy over the halal certification was because it was misunderstood by various parties. The meeting during the presentation today also went well, and in a friendly manner," she wrote in the post.
She said she managed to take a photo with the two of them in Parliament today and had also included the photos in her post.
"When we met, they briefly told me, they had just got back from giving their statement to the Bukit Aman police, as part of an investigation over her remarks on the matter. I think I better let Jakim provide an explanation over this issue," she wrote without elaborating on the matter.
Earlier, Kok drew flak when she suggested that the halal food certification remained voluntary, allowing business operators to decide based on market demand rather than making it mandatory.
This remark did not sit well among certain quarters, including Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also said not to dwell on issues of sensitive nature and said the view was made in her personal capacity and not the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
The deputy religious affairs minister Dr Zulkifli Hasan also had urged all parties to remain tactful when expressing their opinions on the issue.
There were more than 50 police reports lodged against Kok over her remark.
Meanwhile, Seputeh DAP Youth chief Joel Jalleh this morning questioned the authorities on why Kok was the only one being investigated over her remarks on the halal certification issue, when there were others who had also voiced out.
He also lodged a police report this morning urging police to investigate Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh who caused the misunderstanding among Malaysians concerning race, religion and royalty (3R) matters.
Kok came under police investigation following her remarks and she said such a move could subject Malaysia to global ridicule.
Earlier, Akmal responded to Kok's statement by calling her an "old Nyonya" who should not have interfered in Islamic affairs.
He had also been sacarstic by saying he will ask the government to prepare a "non-halal logo" to stick on Kok's forehead.