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Minister: Cabinet agrees to allow Timah whisky to keep its name
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — The Cabinet has allowed the whiskey brand Timah to keep its name.
In a statement today Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong along with Domestic Trade and Cooperatives Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said the manufacturer will be required to include an additional label on the whiskey bottle to explain its name reference to “bijih timah” or in Bahasa Malaysia a term used for iron ores.
Timah whisky stays, company reaches compromise with govt
FMT Reporters -November 13, 2021
The Timah name and Captain Tristram Speedy’s image on the bottle had been the subject of much controversy in recent weeks.
PETALING JAYA: The manufacturer of Timah whisky can keep the name of its brand which has seen much controversy over the past few weeks.
Winepak Corporation director Kenny Yeo said one of the conditions it agreed to was to include an explanation on the label that the brand name “Timah” was a reference to tin ore.
He also confirmed news reports that the Cabinet had agreed to the compromise reached between the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry and the company.
“Yes, it’s true. We wish to thank the government for this amicable settlement,” he told FMT when asked about the Cabinet decision.
Earlier, domestic trade and consumer affairs minister Alexander Nanta Linggi was quoted by Sin Chew Daily as saying that the manufacturer could keep the name with the condition that it included additional information on the label.
“I spoke to the company on how to resolve this matter and informed the Cabinet of its suggestion. The Cabinet has agreed to this,” he told the Chinese daily.
With that, Linggi hoped that the “Timah” controversy would come to an end.
“I have tried my best to resolve this issue in the best way possible,” he reportedly said.
Meanwhile, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok welcomed the decision by the government and Winepak to reach an amicable settlement on the matter.
She said credit should be given to the public and the media for bringing up this matter and showing the absurdity of the authorities in blowing up such a trivial issue out of proportion
“Getting the Cabinet to discuss the Timah brand name was absolutely unnecessary. We became the laughing stock globally, debating over the name of a whisky brand. I hope such issues are not raised in future,” she said in a statement.
The resolution comes after Winepak agreed to consult its shareholders and board of directors over whether to change the name and logo of its award-winning whisky product.
Muslim groups, the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP), and some politicians previously claimed the name was tantamount to insulting Islam because it bore similarities to the name of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, Fatimah.
They further purported that the image on the whisky bottle, of a bearded man wearing what looked like a skull cap, could “confuse Muslims”.
Winepak had clarified that the drink was named after the Malay word for tin, while the man on the label was Captain Tristram Speedy, an explorer and adventurer who was the first superintendent of police in Penang in 1871. He was also said to have introduced the whisky culture to Malaysia.
Following the outcry, up to four ministers plus the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) held a discussion with Winepak.
Opposition politicians, meanwhile, criticised the government for giving in to such rhetoric instead of focusing on more important issues during the pandemic.
Two weeks ago, environment and water minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, from PAS, caused a furore when he said the Cabinet had decided that brand names of products capable of causing “public distress” would not be allowed.
In response, Linggi clarified that the Cabinet had merely discussed a possible ban but did not make any final decision
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