KOTA BARU:KOTA BARU: Acknowledging that Bak Kut Teh is not permissible for Muslims, Pas introduced two alternative menus named 'Lamb Kut Teh' and 'Chic Kut Teh' during several by-elections held in the country six years ago.
Dr Najihatussalehah Ahmad, Pas Muslimat Information chief and former Pas National Unity Council chairman, explained that these special menus were made using Chinese herbs, lamb, and chicken as the main ingredients.
"When I served as the chairman of the Pas National Unity Council in 2018, my responsibility was to engage Pas with the non-Muslim and non-Malay communities. We aimed to engage with various cultures that could be adapted to our context.
"During that period, I was also a committee member of the Pas Supporters Assembly Committee and a member of the Chinese Muslim committee."
When by-elections were held in Seri Setia, Selangor, and Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, in 2018, she said political parties were using various methods to approach voters, especially in non-Malay majority areas.
"Therefore, Pas decided to do something different. As I had committee members who were Chinese and also non-Muslim supporters, we chose to introduce the two menus," she told the New Straits Times.
Dr Najihatussalehah, who is also the Bota assemblywoman, said the committee members learned to make the lamb and chic kut teh from one of the committee members, whose father was a Bak Kut Teh seller.
"I have also seen these two menus at a Chinese-Muslim restaurant," she said.
She claimed that both menus received good responses from locals in the two states, including the voters.
During the campaigning period in the two by-elections, she said the council also introduced mooncakes.