“Will the government then have to produce Muslim-friendly money?” asked His Majesty.

“Think for yourselves. What about seats in public places that may have been licked by dogs? This will never end.”

Islamisation of Selangor

Some people grumble online that Selangor is slipping into an Islamic state by stealth - not via PAS but under the so-called “moderate” Pakatan Harapan.

In an earlier column, I wrote that the PKR-led state government had scored three own goals before the coming elections - restrictions to temples/churches, secretly selling forest land cheaply to cronies, and claiming there was “no land” for a public hospital in Petaling Jaya. 

READ MORE: Paused Selangor rules would bar non-Muslim houses of worship from exceeding mosque height

The fourth own goal is that “No Pork, No Lard” signs may be banned in Selangor, as they may “confuse” Muslim customers into believing they are halal.

The “halal waste” issue counts as the fifth own goal. It was left to Lee Chean Chung, the outspoken MP for Petaling Jaya, to reveal this and the church/temple issue.

He is still in PKR but will probably soon move to Bersama for the next election. 

Ng Suee Lim, the state exco for local government, then claimed that the policy on halal and non-halal waste separation in Selangor has been around since 2010.

He explained that due to “confusion and questions”, its implementation will be “reviewed” to ensure that they are “more practical, clear, and in line with current needs”.

The review will include “getting views from NGOs, industry players, local councils, and relevant agencies”.

Yet, the question remains, why did the four DAP state exco members not object to this silly policy? And is the government only seeking views from stakeholders after the rubbish has hit the fan?

Deeper problems

Malaysians generate around 8.3 million metric tonnes of food waste annually, or roughly 260kg per person. Food waste makes up 40 percent to 45 percent of all daily waste sent to landfills. No wonder garbage disposal is big business.

I see many Malaysians, including Muslims, leaving lots of perfectly good food uneaten at cafes. They don’t even bother packing it to eat at home.

Yet in Islam, wastage is a sin, and offenders are deemed as “relatives of Satan”.

I wish that halal was something that unites us - as a symbol of quality, like say the “organic” label.

Halal is supposed to mean compliance with Islamic principles of hygiene. But what about halal restaurants that are dirty? Or halal food packed with harmful preservatives and nitrates?

Most importantly, are we getting bogged down in micro details while missing the big picture?

Former minister Rafidah Aziz said in 2024 that authorities should focus on combating corruption, which was “non-halal money”, instead of “causing inconvenience” by enforcing rigid halal rules.

Thus, rather than getting fixated about halal garbage, we should examine if politicians, top civil servants, plus corporate/GLC leaders got their wealth in halal or haram ways.

Legislate against unexplained riches

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago said this can be done easily if the government has an Unexplained Wealth Law (UWL). 

So if a civil servant with a RM10,000 salary has seven luxury cars and two huge mansions, the UWL can compel such jokers to explain how they acquired such massive assets.

If they cannot justify it, the government can quickly seize illicit wealth without dragging cases forever in court, said Charles. This will stop the “systemic corruption among the elite”.

But I do wonder if his strong, uncompromising stands were what caused DAP to drop him as the Klang parliamentary candidate in the 2022 general election, even though he was an immensely popular MP?

Authorities have every right to spend immense time and effort checking cafes for the slightest mistakes on their halal status, for example, a menu listing “hot dogs”.

But perhaps more energy should be spent on doing “halal tests” on suspected corrupt wealth using a UWL.

After all, the biggest threats to Muslims and Malaysians are the 3Rs of “rempit, rokok, rasuah” - reckless motorcyclists, smoking, and corruption.

These 3Rs are what really harm lives, health, and society - not the other R - a lack of halal rubbish bins.