It is high time that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education prioritise allotting meals for students in schools and in insitutions of higher learning according to their religious beliefs and ethnicities so that students need not add to their worry to looking for food according to their health or dietary requirements as required by their individual faiths.
This comes in light of a canteen operator in Politeknik Seberang Prai (PSP) Gobi Krishnan whose application to extend his services as the sole non-Malay, non-Muslim food operator in the canteen had not been renewed on grounds that is only applicable to Muslim operators.
He applied with the Ministry of Finance for a certificate to run his business as a canteen operator, and had succesfully complied with the 3 codes set by MOF, which are 040101 for “makanan dan bahan mentah kering/basah”, 040102 for “makanan dan minuman” and 040104 “makanan bermasak bukan Islam”. It is important tp note that there was no mention AT ALL of the code 040103 which is the code for “membekal makanan bermasak (Islam) when Gopi first applied in September 2016 and no mention of the said code when PSP approved his application to run a stall in the said polytechnic.
Gopi Krishnan has operated from September 2016 to June 30 this year where his contract would naturally expire, for a total of 9 months without the said 040103 code exclusive for food that is prepared according to Islam.
Why is this suddenly brought up at this point, after 9 months of providing food to the students there? After all, Gopi Krishnan was there to provide food to non-Muslim students who require vegetarian food at any given time according to their beliefs, religion or health requirement.
I find it poor logic by Deputy Minister for Education P. Kamalanathan and Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican who were unable to hold their horses in vehemently defending the decision by the Director of Politeknik Seberang Perai by fanning it into a racial issue. If indeed it was administrative, then both these men should have used their discretion to argue the point out professionally by making a full enquiry on the legality of this new code of 040103 on Gopi Krishnan’s application when it is is clearly only applicable to Muslim vendors. It is important to note that the same supplier who supplies meat to all the canteen operators, also supplies meat to Gopi Krishnan as well. Gopi’s intention to be a canteen operator in PSP is so that the students, lecturers and staffs in the polytechnic, including Indian and Chinese students are able to freely profess their dietary requirement of consuming vegetarian meals at any time of the week, and as a variety to the other canteen operators there, strictly without pork and alcohol at all.
It is indeed hypocritical of the Malaysian Government that is promoting multiculturalism and multiracialism to project to the world on the richness of the Malaysian food experience through the many Visit Malaysia promotions, but on the other hand, have terribly misplaced priorities to provide an avenue for students who come from diverse religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to fulfil their dietary requirements according to their belief or for health reasons.
How will we be a progressive and developed nation by 2050 when government policies in schools and institutions of higher learning prevent multiethnic beliefs from being professed freely in regards of dietary needs when little Napoleans along the way manipulate the existing policies and spin any single matter into a racial one or a religious one when it is not.
I urge the Ministry of Education and also the Ministry of Higher Education to amend old guidelines and policies and to come up with a more transparent, fair, inclusive, open and just approach in awarding tenders to non-Muslim, non-Malay canteen operators so that students will not have to worry about sourcing for food that is in line with their beliefs or for health requirements. A blanket guideline on strictly no pork and alcohol will certainly be welcomed well by non-Muslim,non-Malay vendors who want to provide clean, healthy food in government schools and institutions of higher learning to the students, lecturers and all staffs there.
The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education must take stern measures to ensure that all students from diverse backgrounds be allotted daily meals according to their religious beliefs and ethnicities in schools, hostels and campuses.