After Timah Whiskey Malaysia Faces Another Alcohol Name Controversy In Santubong Beer

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WHILE Malaysians have moved forward with the award winning home-grown Timah Whiskey brouhaha four years ago, another alcohol name controversy has erupted after distributor Zebrew Craft Beer was forced to withdraw its Santubong Beer from the market following protests from Santubong MP Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri and her constituents.
That the brewer tamely withdrew its product from the shelves has invited a fierce backlash from Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen who expressed grave concern that Sarawak is “slowly turning into Peninsular Malaysia or are some GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) politicians are trying to play Akmal’s role in our state”.

That the Stampin MP came to the defence of Santubong Beer is understandable as the beer producer did not want to incur the wrath of a Nancy who is also the Women, Family and Community Development Minister at the Federal level.
This is unlike Timah Whiskey which stood its ground by stating that the name Timah signifies the local word for “tin” – hence, the Timah Whiskey branding harks back to the tin mining era during British Malaya – as opposed to short for Fatimah who also happens to be Prophet Muhammad’s daughter.
‘Look after your constituents’
“Her (Nancy’s) so-called ‘victory’ over the Santubong Beer issue is in fact a setback and a loss of a small yet precious part of Sarawak’s values of tolerance and harmony,” fumed Chong who is also the Padungan state assemblyman.

“Is it really the Santubong Muslim community who feel offended or just a handful of politicians claiming to speak for everyone?
“The worrying trend here is not about one product name. It’s about Sarawak slowly sliding into the hypersensitive, overzealous political culture which we Sarawakians have always prided ourselves on being different from.”
Added the lawyer and Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman: “By Nancy’s logic, if Muslims form a majority in Sarawak, then even Sarawak tuak would suddenly be offensive. Would Genting Casino also need to change its name because casino is haram and Genting is a place with many Muslims?”
However, Nancy hit back at Chong by accusing the latter of picking up any issue that “he thinks would be in his best interest to champion Sarawak politics”.
“Obviously, YB Chong failed in his role as a politician who should protect the interests of the majority of the constituents,” snubbed Nancy.

“I believe the company that produced the product has realised their action has hurt the constituents of Santubong. That was why they agreed to remove the product from the shelves.
“YB Chong has a lot more to do for the people in his constituency rather than interfering in issues that have already been decided by the company concerned.”
‘Careless marketing choice’
Interestingly, Nancy found a non-Muslim supporter in Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap Yau Sin who questioned why Santubong was chosen when the beer was not brewed in Santubong but instead in Sibu.
“The producers deliberately chose the name Santubong for branding and marketing, because Santubong is an iconic Sarawak landmark tied to folklore, tourism and culture,” he justified.

“However, this decision was misguided. If the brewer truly wanted to honour local heritage, it would have been far more appropriate to use a name closer to their home base in Sibu where the beer is actually made.
“By using Santubong which is also the name of a Muslim-majority constituency, the company showed insensitivity to local realities and caused unnecessary offence. This was not about protecting culture, it was about a careless marketing choice that could have been easily avoided.”
Commenting of the polemic, renowned political analyst Prof James Chin opined that the matter was badly handled at the outset with “everyone having over-reacted”.
“Sarawakian Malays could have understood the motive if the naming rationale was properly explained to them,” the Sarawak-born inaugural director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania told FocusM.
Prof James Chin“Nancy could have approached the brewer for clarification on its rationale behind their choice of name but in this case, she was quick to inject racial and religious elements into her argument which gave the brewer little opportunity to defend itself.
“This is the problem with Malaysia because whenever you throw in religious elements, it becomes impossible to have a rational discussion for whatever happens next will be seen as a non-Muslim challenging or offending Islam.”

Given Santubong boasts an 81.8% Malay-Muslim Bumiputera electorate according to a 2022 census, perhaps the Kuching-founded brewer Zebrew Craft Beer can re-brand Santubong Beer as “Miri Beer”, “Bintulu Beer”, “Sibu Beer” or even “Kuching Beer” given the three cities are made up of a more cosmopolitan population. –  Focus Malaysia

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