A major breach of Malaysia’s halal food procurement system has been uncovered in Sabah, where three non-Muslim contractors allegedly secured lucrative school catering contracts reserved exclusively for Muslim-owned businesses. The shocking discovery emerged after verification checks by the Pertubuhan Kebudayaan dan Kebajikan Murut Malaysia revealed the individuals were not registered with the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JHEAINS), despite holding sensitive contracts involving halal food preparation for boarding schools.
The implicated contractors – Asrin Songorou, Marudin Bin Andawai, and Sahadi Andawai – had reportedly been supplying meals to school dormitories under government tenders worth millions of ringgit. This violates strict Education Ministry guidelines requiring both halal certification and Muslim ownership for such contracts. Investigations showed none of the three appeared in JHEAINS’ official Muslim registry, raising serious questions about how they qualified for these religiously-sensitive contracts in the first place.
This scandal follows earlier revelations in 2022 when eleven contractors, including two of the current individuals, were fined for submitting falsified financial documents to secure RM25.79 million in school catering tenders between 2014-2018. While their financial misconduct was previously exposed, their religious status only came under scrutiny recently through verification checks in Nabawan. Each contract typically ranges between RM2-5 million, representing substantial public funds allocated for student welfare.
Raymond Ahuar, president of the Pertubuhan Kebustayaan dan Kebajikan Murut Malaysia, has demanded immediate action, calling for a statewide audit of all active halal food contracts. “These tenders carry specific religious requirements that appear to have been circumvented,” he stated, emphasizing the need to protect both Islamic provisions in law and proper tender procedures. Authorities now face pressure to explain how these approvals were granted without proper vetting of contractors’ religious credentials.