While Marni, Jenifer, and the four church committee members wrestled with religious identities they never chose, a different layer of exploitation was quietly playing out in the same district of Nabawan.
This time, it wasn’t about false conversions — but about non-Muslim individuals operating under the cover of Islam to access lucrative public contracts reserved exclusively for Muslims.
Among those named in a police report filed by Raymond Ahuar were three individuals: Asrin Songorou, Marudin Bin Andawai, and Sahadi Andawai. None of them, according to checks conducted at the JHEAINS office in Nabawan, are Muslims. But for several years, they had been running companies that supplied halal-cooked meals to boarding schools across Sabah.
These food supply contracts — known as Permohonan Makanan Bermasak Islam (PMS) — are strictly regulated. To qualify, a company must be Muslim-owned. The contracts are tied to religious compliance. Operators are required not only to serve halal food but to be Muslim themselves, in accordance with Ministry of Education procurement guidelines.
But according to Raymond, these three individuals — all from non-Muslim backgrounds — had secured the contracts through false declarations and manipulated paperwork, while presenting themselves as qualified halal vendors. Their religious status was never verified by the issuing authority.
“They were never Muslim. But they were serving food to hundreds of Muslim students under the impression that they were,” Raymond said.
The matter was first brought to public attention in 2022, when Astro Awani and Free Malaysia Today reported that eleven individuals had been convicted of using falsified bank statements to win government tenders valued at more than RM25 million between 2014 and 2018.
Among those named in the coverage were Asrin and Marudin. One of the companies involved — Tetap Unggul Enterprise — was linked to Marudin. At the time, the court cases focused primarily on document forgery. The issue of their religious status was never investigated.
It was only later — during checks at JHEAINS in 2025 — that it became clear these individuals were never registered as Muslims in the first place.
“This was never just about bank statements,” Raymond said. “This was about pretending to be Muslim in order to qualify for tenders you would otherwise never get. It’s religious identity being weaponised for business.”
The contracts themselves are highly sought after. Supplying meals to a single school can bring in tens of thousands of ringgit annually. With dozens of boarding schools scattered across Sabah’s interior, the combined value of halal food tenders is immense — and, for syndicates or politically connected players, worth the risk of fraud.
Raymond believes this exploitation of the system was no coincidence. He said the individuals involved were part of a broader network — one that knew how to navigate the loopholes between agencies.
“The education department is the one issuing the contracts. But the religious status verification is supposed to be handled by JHEAINS,” he said. “Somewhere along the line, no one checked. Or maybe they didn’t want to.”
He has called for the Sabah State Education Department to explain how such tenders were awarded to non-Muslims, and how background checks could have failed so completely.
“These contracts were meant for Muslims. That’s the rule. And if someone violates that rule, they’re not just cheating the government — they’re misleading entire school communities,” Raymond said.
He’s not the only one asking questions. Parents of Muslim students in Nabawan are beginning to wonder who’s been preparing their children’s meals. Were the food handlers actually Muslim? Were the facilities really halal-certified? Were the religious standards upheld at all?
For Raymond, the answer is clear: “When we play with identity for profit, we break trust — and when we break trust, everyone pays the price.” – April 28, 2025
