KUALA LUMPUR: Homegrown whiskey Timah finally gave in after its manufacturer said it will change its name and the image following the recent controversy surrounding the brand.
According to a statement by Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi today, the manufacturer, Winepak Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd, had agreed to change the name and image of its alcohol product.
He said a discussion was held yesterday with the company where it requested a week to make the changes as they need to discuss with their shareholders and board of directors.
In the Dwan Rakyat today, Rusnah Aluai (PH-Tangga Batu) said the whiskey’s brand name gave the impression of “drinking a Malay woman” as she associated Timah with a Malay woman’s name.
She stressed that the name Timah is confusing for the Muslim community along with the image displayed on the bottle of a Captain Speedy wearing the Muslim “kopiah” (skull cap).
The label also had the slogan “1871 - The Legend of Captain Speedy” which is a reference to Captain Tristam Speedy who was a prominent figure during the colonial period as he helped to end the Larut Wars in Perak at the request of Ngah Ibrahim, the local chieftain.
Rusnah questioned why use the “kopiah” and not give a hat to Captain Speedy to wear instead and to name it The Mines given that Timah is tin found in the mines.
Earlier, the Timah manufacturer had already said that Timah refers to tin.
“Are there no other photos of Captain Speedy wearing a hat? Or can’t we rename it The Mines or whatever name?” she asked.
“It is also not a good thing for women because Timah is like Malay women like Kak Timah, Mak Timah , Mak Cik Timah. So, when we consume the whiskey, it’s as though we are drinking a Malay woman,“ she said.
However, some MPs were not on the same page as Rusnah, including former Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (BN-Pengerang).
She said that as a child, she had enjoyed eating A&W’s “coney dog” which was then rebranded as “coney chicken”.
“If my child likes hot dogs, I don’t think I should say no to eating these hot ‘dogs’ (literal meaning),“ she quipped.
“So we have to educate our community to think more logically,“ she said.
Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid agreed and hoped this issue does not set a precedent.
“There was also the issue of ‘root beer’ (A&W’s signature drink) where some said drinking it would make one to be drunk,“ he said while adding that there will be no end to this issue.
He added that this Timah issue is being over sensationalised.
Khalid Samad (PH-Shah Alam) said the issue may have been politicised into a racial and religious matter and he sympathised with Muslims who still believed they were under attack from non Muslims.
