'Bijih Timah' whiskey? MP claims company pressured to change name
The government is pressuring the makers of Timah whiskey to change the name of its product just as its licence is due for renewal, claimed Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
She said while Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi had told the public that manufacturer Winepak Sdn Bhd has agreed to change the name; in actuality, it was unwillingly acquiescing to government demands.
According to her, the government wants the name changed from Timah (meaning tin in the Malay language) to Bijih Timah (tin ore).
“I was made to understand that they are not willing to change the name,” she told Malaysiakini today when contacted for details about her speech in Parliament earlier.
She viewed the name change as...
Not renewing the license to score political points is NOT acceptable by any standard. So any political party have their leanings to any religion can make decisions for businesses who are paying taxes who has the name approved in the first place. Politics should have no place in business. Let’s take the brand FCUK, from the Christian or English perspective, it is not a word but when two letters switch around, it is a vulgar word in English. Some people may take offence and may not buy the product. But it is a brand name that stands out from a marketing perspective. So it is a business decision that the company took a chance with. TIMAH has no link to any vulgarity and it is a product not meant for the market that political bigots claimed they are sensitive to. Take the government to court and create a precedent for fairness to all business organizations.The government of the day cannot have the cake and eat it. DON’T TEACH BUSINESSES WHAT TO DO. They are not your GLC who are all failing listening to all the nonsense from political parties of one religion.
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