More non-Bumi’s business obtain Halal certificate, yet netizens are divided

High rate of Halal-certified non-Bumiputera owned businesses, primarily non-Muslim, recently sparked a debate across social media platforms.

The discussion which initially took place in Facebook, underlined the importance of Halal Malaysia certification issued by JAKIM for businesses, especially if the founder is not Muslim.

One of the commenters who goes by the username Kenny Lau said, shopping malls which do not have or centre themselves around Halal businesses will have a hard time generating profit and income.

“They said targeting Malay customers is easy profit, but I think Malay’s spending power is bigger,” he said in a statement.

Fadzli Fuzi replying to Kenny Lau’s comment on a Facebook post

Another commenter by the username Fadzli Fuzi agreed with Kenny’s opinion and verified that Malay customers will consume whatever is certified as Halal.

A digital marketer with username Izzat Azizi then brought the discussion on Twitter, now formerly known as X, to incite debate on what makes Halal certification crucial for non-muslims businesses.

“This is the reason why Chinese business owners are willing to spend money on obtaining Halal certification.

“Malay’s spending power is bigger,” he said on X.

Chinese cuisine is popular among Malay consumers, after many Chinese businesses opted non-Halal ingredients with Halal options (credit photo: Malaysiakini)

One of the commenters known by his username Jonathan Woodgate said, he supported more non-muslim business owners to obtain Halal certificate as he personally loves Chinese food that are usually made with non-Halal ingredients. 

“I like and fully support them to obtain Halal certificate because I like Chinese food, especially Nasi Ayam Chee Meng at Bukit Bintang,” he said under Izzat’s post.

Despite the initial positive responses received, one commenter by the username Amir said that Malay’s population is what contributes to their huge spending power.

“But if we are talking about income per head, lifestyle, and frequency of eating out, the Chinese are still leading. Quantity does not equal power,” He said.

The screenshot posted by user SVXFZ depicted the Bumiputera ethnic being more than half of Malaysian total population

His statement was corroborated by a user named SVXFZ, who posted a screenshot of statistics depicting Malaysia’s current demographics by percentages.

Another user by the name Adzizi on the other hand felt differently to the original sentiment on Halal certification as he believes Muslim’s confidence can be built over time. 

“Halal certification is like an express pass for you to get Muslim’s confidence.

“But with the right strategy, you don't even need Halal certification like IKEA, Lavender Bakery and etcetera.

More non-bumiputera businesses recognize the importance of Halal certification in Malaysia, a muslim-majority country (credit photo: Malaysiakini)

“They just took some time to gain their reputation before Muslims can flock in,” said Adzizi.

For record, Halal Development Corporation (HDC) announced 70 percent of Halal certification holders in Malaysia are non-Bumiputera entrepreneurs in January this year. 

This record is an increase of the previously reported Halal certified businesses in July last year where 56.7 percent of the total holders were non-Bumiputera owned.

The rise in Halal certification obtained by non-Bumiputera owners signifies increasing awareness to penetrate the Halal market that is growing exponentially, predicted to value at US$2.8 trillion (RM11.9 trillion) in the upcoming years.

After two days, the post has garnered 4.1 thousand likes, 1.5 thousand reposts, 536 bookmarks and 56 comments, insinuating that Halal discussion remains prominent among Malaysians’ religious and lifestyle concerns.