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New Sunday Times, 20 March 2005
Enforcement Division To Have
5,000 Men
by Jaspal Singh
IPOH, Sat. - The staff strength of the Domestic
Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry's enforcement division will
be increased to 5,000 within seven years.
Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Aqdal said the ministry had written
to the Public Service Department early this year requesting 500
additional employees for the division by the end of the year.
"The current 1,600 enforcement personnel are not enough
to cover the expanding areas of enforcement," he said.
He was speaking after the opening of a new Tesco store by Raja
Muda Perak Raja Nazrin Shah today, the seventh in the country.
Also present at the ceremony were Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol
Rosli Ghazaali, Tesco Stores Malaysia Sdn Bhd chief executive
officer James Edward McCann and corporate affairs director Azlam
Shah Alias.
Two more stores will be opened in Shah Alam and Kajang this
year. One area where the ministry's enforcement duties have
expanded is connection with the abuse and forgery of the halal
logo.Previously, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim)
was largely responsible for issuing halal logos and certificates
and enforcing the regulations pertaining to their proper use.
"But now, the Government has given the ministry the task
of monitoring and enforcing with Jakim assisting," Shafie
said.
The Ministry set up a halal unit under its enforcement division
last June to oversee the use of halal logos and certificates,
and it has a staff of 124.
However, most of the 1,600 enforcement officers have been mobilized
to inspect business premises that use halal logos on their products
nationwide.
Legislation introducing new areas of enforcement has also stretched
the division to its limits.
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