Malaysian
Halal standards are expected to be pushed as the global Halal standard
at the coming World Halal Forum here due to the support and involvement
of the forum’s newly-elected chairman Datuk Seri Sheikh Saleh Abdullah
Kamel.
Sheikh Saleh, a wealthy and influential Saudi
businessman, is currently the chairman of the Islamic Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (ICCI), an Organisation of Islamic Conference
(OIC) organ representing business chambers of member countries.
He is also the chairman of the Bahrain-based General Council for Islamic Banks.
KasehDia
Sdn Bhd’s managing director, Juma’atun Azmi, said the acceptance of
Malaysian Halal standards as the global Halal standard could be
realised with both the ICCI and the International Halal Integrity
Alliance working together to promote it.
“With the alliance, we
forsee Malaysian Halal standards being accepted globally,” she told a
media briefing on the World Halal Forum here today.
KasehDia is a consulting company which initiated the World Halal Forum.
Its
executive director, Nordin Abdullah, said one area that would be
heavily deliberated at the forum would be the Halal pharmaceutical
industry, where players would seek to find conformity on acceptable raw
materials and supply availability of end-products.
“A lot of people are looking for answers to Halal pharmaceuticals. The governments are taking it seriously too,” he said.
Other
issues to be discussed at the forum which is expected to be opened by
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi are standards and
conformity, market access, Halal development agenda of the OIC and
social responsibility.
The forum would also see the
participation of speakers like Dr Cedomir Nestorovic, a professor from
ESSEC Business School Paris; Professor Hirofumi Oki, Shariah Research
Institute of Takushoku University; Indonesian Agriculture Minister, Dr
Ir Anton Apriyanto; and, Badlisyah Abdul Ghani, chief executive officer
of CIMB Islamic Bank.
Nordin said an interesting addition to
this year’s forum would be the promotion of key Halal clusters located
in Gambang (Pahang), Port Klang (Selangor) as well as developments in
Sabah and Sarawak.
“There is an increase in investor interest to
visit these places, notably from Europe, Middle East, South America and
China,” he said.
