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MUI fights back with legal challenge as govt takes over halal certification authority
Soon to come into effect, the law strips the MUI of its authority to manage halal certification — which it has held for decades — and gives it to the BPJPH, which would regulate applications and collect the fees for issuing certificates.
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Two Indonesian Muslims choose halal ramen from a vending machine. JP/Rosa Panggabean (JP/Rosa Panggabean)
T
he Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has gone to court to challenge the government’s authority to certify halal products, a move seen as an attempt by the organization to regain its decades-old control over the certification.
Directors of MUI's food and drug analysis agencies (LPPOM) from 31 provinces across the country have lodged a petition for a judicial review with the Constitutional Court, challenging three articles in the 2014 Halal Product Assurance Law.
The petition was filed roughly two months before the law, which obliges all products sold in Indonesian market to obtain halal certificates issued by the Halal Certification Agency (BPJPH), took effect on Oct. 17.
The plaintiffs specifically disputed the authority of the BPJPH, a government-mandated body set up under the Religious Affairs Ministry with responsibility for managing halal certification.
In the petition’s dossier, the plaintiffs argued that the shifting of halal certification authority to the BPJPH would create a sense of uncertainty among members of the public, particularly business owners.
They also doubted whether the BPJPH could perform efficiently in comparison to the MUI, which had “30 years of experience” in managing and issuing halal certificates.
Ikhsan Abdullah, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, further argued that the BPJPH was not yet prepared to exercise its authority and responsibility as stipulated in the law.
