Kedah drops Ramadan bar closure plan

The PAS-led Kedah government has dropped plans to enforce a 1997 state enactment that requires bars, discos and karaoke clubs to close during the coming Ramadan, a state official told AFP today.

The northern state decided in May to enforce closure of all entertainment outlets during the holy month, as stipulated in the state law passed by the previous BN-led administration.

However, the plan drew criticism from entertainment outlet operators, as well as other Pakatan Rakyat components who feared that a blanket ban would alienate non-Muslim voters.

The most vocal has been from DAP chairperson Karpal Singh, who yesterday pressed for the ban be revoked.

Outlet operators have also warned that the ban may cause over 6,000 industry workers to get the axe.

The state official told AFP further that the controversy had been resolved after Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak (above, left) met entertainment premise operators yesterday, and agreed to allow them to operate as long as they ensure no Muslims enter their premises during the fasting month.

"For Muslims, we have to make special allowances because nowadays too many youngsters are involved in hedonism... The state doesn't want that," he said adding, "Entertainment during Ramadan is only for non-Muslims."

Ban not enforced

Meanwhile at a press conference in Ampang today, Azizan's political secretary Mohd Sanusi Md Nor told reporters that the state has agreed not to enforce the shut down.

This, he said, was after entertainment operators voluntarily agreed to subject their licenses to being revoked should Muslims be found on their premises during Ramadan.

Mohd Sanusi (left) stressed that it would be up to the police and local governments to enforce this in the nearly 300 bars, discotheques, karaoke lounges and other clubs in the state, and not the state religious authorities.

He added that the actual number of affected businesses may be lower than quoted.

This is because in Kedah, bowling alleys and snooker centres are no longer classified as entertainment outlets, but as sports centres that will not be affected.

In the past spats between PAS and coalition partner DAP over pig rearing and alcohol bans - sensitive issues in Islam - have surfaced, threatening to derail Pakatan and its chances to unseat the BN, that has ruled the country for more than 50 years.

'Unnecessary fire-fighting'

In an immediate reaction, political analyst and legal expert Abdul Aziz Bari chided PAS for its handling of the matter.

He pointed out that within a short period Kedah has had two to tackle two unnecessary fire fighting incidents: first the clampdown on student demonstrators at state college KUIN and now the Ramadan ban against entertainment outlets.

"True they can argue on the technicalities such as the fact that the ban was just the putting into effect a provision from a law passed by the BN (and at the time with MCA and Gerakan's support).

"However they missed the more important point; that Pakatan-led governments should be different from BN, particularly the top-bottom approach," said the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) lecturer (left).

Abdul Aziz also doubted whether PAS had consulted its Pakatan partners on the matter, especially at the national level.

"What Kedah did may be good for the party in the state; especially their bid to stem Umno's comeback.

"However, such moves may not be good for PAS - and Pakatan's chances - in other states. It may also affect the party's stature at the national level," he said.

Abdul Aziz warned that as of now the Islamic party's achievement on the issue of good governance, for example, has yet to match that of DAP.

He believe that such matters should have been given more attention prior to the hubbub that has played out in Kedah the past few days.

MCA: 'It's a PAS-DAP sandiwara' 

MCA, meanwhile, has described the issue of banning entertainment outlets in Kedah throughout Ramadan as a political "sandiwara" (drama) between PAS and DAP.

Its president Dr Chua Soi Lek said the issue was deliberately played up as DAP was known to have such a strong influence over PAS to be able to convince the Chinese community to support PAS.

"DAP will tell the Chinese community not to worry over the issue because it has influence over everything that is fought for or decided by PAS," Bernama quoted Chua (right) as saying in Malacca today.

Chua also said MCA, too, was of the stand that non-Muslims should have the right and freedom whether to patronise entertainment outlets during Ramadan or not.

"When you close these outlets, it means they (non-Muslims) don't have a choice anymore, hence infringing their fundamental right, which is provided for in the constitution," he said.

He admitted, however, that the enactment on entertainment outlets was passed when BN ruled Kedah previously.

In another development, Dr Chua said it was not right or accurate to say that gambling was part of Chinese culture as only a small number of them indulged in gambling.

"Gambling has a negative impact on society. In fact, there is an old Chinese saying which goes, 'it's better to have a handicapped child than to have one who is a habitual gambler," he said, adding that he agreed with this.

Chua was responding to the remark made by Malacca housing, local government and environment committee chairman Mohamed Yunos Husin at the recent state assembly sitting that gambling could not be curbed as it was part of Chinese culture.