AFTER much brouhaha over Timah whiskey, the Cabinet had agreed for its manufacturer, Winepak Corporation Sdn Bhd to retain its name.
“However, Winepak will be required to include an additional label on the whiskey bottle, explaining that the name was referring to iron ore (bijih timah),” Sin Chew Daily reported Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi as saying.
The whiskey brand had evoked much sentiment after right-wing movements accused Winepak of being insensitive to the Malays and Muslims.
Even PAS was initially divided over the matter. While its deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tun Man reminded the public that Timah meant iron ore in Malay, its supremo Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said it was offensive to name an alcoholic beverage using the Malay language.
PKR MP Rusnah Aluai also joined in and chastised the whiskey maker for it, adding those drinking Timah was equivalent of “drinking a Malay woman”.
However, Rusnah apologised for her remarks saying her speech at the Dewan Rakyat was misconstrued by the public.
Touching on the mater, Alexander said that the idea to include an additional label to explain the use of word Timah was suggested by Winepak, which was later accepted by Putrajaya.
“I met with the alcohol manufacturer and discussed how to settle this issue. Later, I presented the company’s proposal to the Cabinet and they agreed,” he added.
However, Alexander did not provide details on what the Cabinet had decided on the Timah whiskey logo, which had also triggered controversy as some claimed it featured a Muslim man wearing a skullcap.
It is to note that the man featured on the bottle was British officer Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy, popularly known as Captain Speedy.
He had served in British Malaya from 1861 to 1874 as an administrator to restore order during the devastating Larut wars in Perak. He was also credited of bringing the whiskey culture in the local tin mining sector back then. – Nov 13, 2021
