MP Azalina Othman Highlights The Need For M’sians To Think Logically Amidst Timah Controversy

TIMAH Whisky explains 'controversial' name after call out by Consumer Association of Penang
source: Marketing Interactive

As previously reported by JUICE, the fiasco surrounding the Malaysian whisky brand, Timah is one for the books.

Going from offending conservative consumer rights groups to deluding the public into “drinking Malay women”, what was once a simple award-winning whisky has turned into a national hot topic so much so that Timah is even thinking of rebranding.

But the take away from these controversies isn’t that Timah is necessarily a bad brand, it’s that Malaysians need to improve their critical thinking.

Azalina: Anti fake news law protects, not stifle freedom of speech
source: NST

Pengerang MP Azalina Othman agrees with this as she brought up the topic at the Dewan Rakyat by highlighting another ridiculous debacle.

Did you forget about how conservatives wanted to change the name of “hot dogs” because they did not want to be confused with eating dogs? Yeah, we didn’t forget and neither did Azalina.

She said, “Since we were little, at A&W they sold hot dogs. My child likes eating hot dogs. Am I supposed to tell them they can’t eat anjing panas (literal translation of hot dog)?

“I feel like this is important. We have to teach our nation to think more logically.”

Watch the full clip below:

This isn’t an isolated incident, of course.

Recently, an ice-cream named Golden Gaytime also angered conservatives because it had the word ‘gay’. In actuality, ‘gay’ was referring to a good time, not homosexuality.

Explain difference between halal and pork-free eateries, says PAS man | Free Malaysia Today (FMT)
source: FMT

Other than that, PAS MP Hassan Mohd Ramli has recently urged for more clarification regarding “pork-free” establishments.

He stated that there needs to be clear distinguishing between pork-free and halal restaurants because the two terms are not interchangeable and that Muslims might get confused when picking a place to eat.

These terms have been around for years but why only now is there a need for clarification? Was it not crystal clear before?

It feels as if a handful of Malaysians are either shutting their brains off or choosing to get offended by anything and everything.

If the matter doesn’t concern you, there’s no need to be bothered by it. If it does concern you, do your own research if you want to be cognisant.

In the words of Azalina, our nation needs to think more logically. Not everything is going to be spoon-fed to us and we should stop expecting that.