KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Aug 2009: PAS today called for the enforcement of guidelines on the sale of liquor in Selangor, similar to those in force in Kelantan and Terengganu.
Its secretary-general, Datuk Mustafa Ali, said Kelantan and Terengganu prohibited the open sale of liquor in Muslim-majority neighbourhoods.
“The policy has been implemented in Kelantan and Terengganu, but we do not know what the policy is in Selangor,” he told reporters here.
Last Thursday, Selangor Local Government, Research and Development Committee chairperson Ronnie Liu instructed the Shah Alam City Council to return 70 cans and bottles of alcoholic drinks seized from a convenience store in Jalan Liku, Section 8, Shah Alam.
Selangor PAS responded to Liu’s “interference” by calling for him to be stripped of his local government portfolio.
Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, however, dismissed the demand by PAS, saying the state government regarded the matter as a non-issue.
Asked about Umno Youth‘s intention to join a planned peaceful demonstration by PAS Youth tomorrow to urge the Selangor government to strip Liu of his local government portfolio, Mustafa said he was not aware of it. The rally has since been cancelled, news portal Malaysiakini reports.
On another matter, Mustafa refuted a claim that Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz, legal adviser of the Pembela Negara Federation of Non-Governmental Organisation Councils (Magaran), who had pledged support for the Internal Security Act (ISA), was a PAS member.
“We don’t know what his motive was to claim that he is a member of the party, because we are definitely not in favour of the ISA. We have checked his background and found that he has nothing to do with PAS,” he said. — Bernama
See also: PAS and the alcohol ban
Azizi Khan says
So now we want to have specific policies for Muslim majority areas? Sounds hauntingly familiar to how Jews were segregated in Nazi Germany. So are we going to allocate certain areas for non-Muslims?
How do you define “Muslim majority?”. 50%? 60%? 99%?
So, it’s perfectly OK to infringe on the rights of other communities in these other areas?
How can PAS, as part of Pakatan Rakyat, condone this “us against them” attitude? We have BN for that.
armstrong says
It’s kinda easy to solve this problem.
Vote out PAS in Selangor state for state government administration.
Vote PAS in for federal government.
You have the best of both worlds. Send PAS a message that Selangor is not Kelantan or Terengganu but also at the same time appreciate the work done by PAS at the federal level.
Hassan Ali has to be out by next GE.
Anthony says
I’m wondering why, with all the religious input, it is not possible to stay away from alcohol. Something is wrong with the methodology. The method advocated by PAS is similar to burning down the house because of a few rats. Since there are laws to prevent Muslims from buying selling or consuming alcohol, why don’t you exercise that? Why do you want to have a blanket ban? The world has shown that banning alcohol does not work. India and the USA which had a ban on, in the 1970s and the 1930s respectively, did not achieve anything. Instead, it created a roaring trade in illegal booze.
Banning alcohol in Muslim majority areas will not work. Muslims who want to drink will simply go elsewhere to buy their alcohol. Isn’t that plain and simple to see? Educating the people is the best way to go. The high taxes on alcohol by the government should go towards paying for education and help for alcohol abuse problems and other related social ills, not for building bridges and high-rise status symbols. Get the priorities right. Education and aid for the problem, not closing your eyes and pretending it does not exist in your neighbourhood by banning it in your area. I would prefer to know my family member is having an alcohol problem in my neighbourhood and acting on it, not exporting it elsewhere and not knowing of it at all.
Don’t be blind to the problem, be proactive. That does not mean burning the house down! Get the right tools and do a proper job of it. You don’t need a howitzer to get rid of a few rats, a mouse trap would do. To get the job done, you need to set it up well too.
To overcome the problem of alcoholism, you need to do the job right too, with the right tools. The tools are there, in place, just use them. You don’t need new rules or more muscle.
dominik says
PAS should propose the same guidelines as that of cigarette sales and gambling outlets. Put up big notices to say “MUSLIMS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PURCHASE BEER FROM THIS OUTLET. IT IS PROHIBITED IN ISLAM”. Why go around raiding and confiscating beer from these outlets? Catch and arrest those Muslims who consume or purchase beer/liquor, just like “khalwat cases” lah!! Why inconvenience the minority non-Muslims from partaking if they want to? No common sense lah!!
S.S. says
Muslims, because of their faith in their religion, cannot be tempted to consume liquor. It will be an insult to them if a law is introduced to prohibit the sale of liquor to others of different faiths.
Farouq Omaro says
Sadly no Muslim is brave enough to speak up for beer sales, when there are many wealthy Muslims and Muslim politicians who enjoy beer!