I was appalled by the news in FMT highlighting the predicament from a bakery house that in line with JAKIM’s order, they are not allowed to put Christmas greetings on cakes even upon requests by customers. Oh, my! What has become of our nation! It was good that Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) quickly intervened to say that there are no restrictions on halal certificate holders writing celebratory festive greetings on cakes for customers to take home.
Interestingly, in the years gone by, we as a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious nation never had such ridiculous instructions to curb our dressing, our drinking or our greetings. Our kings, sultans and leaders have wished their rakyat ‘Merry Christmas’ in the years before. We have always celebrated our diversity with pride and joy at every festive seasons.
If I am not wrong a few years ago, the Permaisuri of Johor shared her views on Christmas and she reminded Malaysians today that everyone has a right to celebrate their own festive holidays. We must always bear in mind that people of different faiths can actually respect the celebration of another faith’s festive holiday without losing their own.
So, what has gone wrong? I believe the problem lies within the ‘Little Napoleons’ who feel great when they can impose their authority, even a wee bit. And ‘Little Napoleons’ are everywhere – in your homes, schools and universities, workplaces and our society at large. Oh, how I pity them, that they have to behave in such a manner.
Coming back to the issue of Christmas greetings on cakes, the affected bakery chain has been accused of being racists for adhering the ruling, or risk losing their halal certificate. According to a Jakim statement issued in December 2020, premises with halal certification are allowed to place festive greetings on products if the goods was not meant to be put on display.
I believe this is not merely a problem for the bakeries during this festive season. This is a problem that all of us Malaysians must stand together to protect not only our businesses but also our integrity. We cannot just leave our nation in the hands of ‘Little Napoleons’ who are thrilled being that, intimidating the rest who are seemingly weak and are at their mercy.
Together, let’s never be afraid to do the right thing. Let’s stand united to build a better Malaysia for all!
Have a Great Christmas, my friends!
Mei Wong
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