KUCHING: According to Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, it is perfectly acceptable for bakeries to inscribe Christmas greetings on their cakes. The Sarawak Premier expressed his disbelief at the fact that this had even become a matter of concern.
Abang Johari described the prominence of news reports on cake decorations as ‘ridiculous’ and stated that there was no issue with decorating cakes with the words ‘Merry Christmas’. He made these comments during the opening of the riverfront and district office building in Selangau, Sarawak on Monday (Dec 18).
He further emphasized that there was no need for Sarawak to replicate the issue occurring in Peninsular Malaysia. He also mentioned that this was one of the reasons for their departure from Barisan Nasional to form Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) – to have the ability to make their own decisions.
Abang Johari’s comments were in response to reports about a bakery’s internal memo instructing staff not to inscribe “Merry Christmas” on cakes so as to adhere to halal certification requirements by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim).
In response to this issue, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar stated on Saturday (Dec 16) that there were no restrictions on halal certificate holders in writing celebratory festive greetings on cakes for customers to take home.
Subsequently, on Monday (Dec 18), Jakim declared that its 2020 directive, which prohibited products containing non-Islamic festive greetings from being displayed, was no longer applicable.
