Minister told to butt out

JAKARTA: A number of legislators have urged Religious Affairs Minister Said Agil Husin Al Munawar to drop his plans to handle the issuance of halal certificates for both imported and domestic products, saying it would only encourage manipulation and new corruption, collusion and nepotism.

"We demand that the religious affairs ministry drop its plan to issue halal certificates. It many handle the halal or haram issue from the religious point of view, but not handle halal certificates," Endin A.J. Soefihara, a legislator of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said Wednesday as reported by Antara.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs is planning to take over issuing certificates from the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) and has issued ministerial decree No. 525/2001 appointing state- owned company Peruri to print the halal label.

Golkar legislator Slamet Effendi Yusuf aired similar concerns on Wednesday, saying that minister Said Agil had gone beyond his duty as the halal issue had been handled by the MUI.

"Eventually, the printing cost of halal certificates will be charged to customers," said Effendi, adding the MUI had been doing the job very well without charging consumers. -- Antara