Being pushed to the wall by idiotic individuals

When I started writing for Malaysiakini, I made a concerted effort to stay away from two contentious topics – race and religion. Not anymore. Being pushed to the wall by idiotic and foolhardy individuals, it is time to break the self-imposed restriction.

Like it or not, these issues have to be addressed so that we can bring back some form of sanity and rationality in our society. We should no longer be subjected, frightened or cajoled by a handful.

There are few who want to impose their moral standards and values on the rest of Malaysians. We have to stand up and say it as it is.

On the outset, let it be said that today’s piece is not aimed at decrying or degrading any religion, culture or group. On the contrary, it is an effort to enlighten the public on overt and covert efforts by some narrow-minded people who want to apply their values on the rest of us.

In my neighbourhood, there are three mosques within a 1.5km radius. One is opposite the house and I have got used to the calls for prayers throughout the day. Occasionally, I listen to the khutbah (sermon) over the loudspeakers. I have no issue with this.

Sometimes, when I am up early, I end up with having teh tarik and roti canai with some Muslim neighbours and acquaintances at the nearby mamak restaurant.

And sometimes too, when I am having dinner at the Chinese coffee shop across the road, they join me at the table while waiting for their satay to be grilled and packed.

On the table, there will be the plate of rice accompanied by a plate of char siew or siewyoke (roasted pork) or Hokkien mee and occasionally, a glass of beer. They insist that I carry on with my meal as we a yarn over various issues. No one has ever told me it is “insensitive to their religion” to eat pork or drink beer in their presence.

This reverence and deference are mutual. When I have parties, out of respect for my Muslim brethren, I get the chicken slaughtered accordingly because I feel that they must consume the food “tanpa was was” (without any doubts).

Although there will be usually other curry dishes on the same table, I would point to a small bowl and tell them: “That is kerbau pendek (wild boar)” and leave it that.

If they still want to taste it or wanting to imbibe in the soft and tender meat, it would be none of my business.

Therefore, when the ominous signs of “sensitivities of Muslims” surfaced in 2015, I wasted no time in admonishing the carrot-brained (thanks, KJ) idiots for their stupidity.

There was a flap over the rooftop air-wells on houses in Langkawi which resembled crosses from afar. The affair ended in a comical manner after the then Kedah Housing Committee chairperson Tajul Urus Mat Zain summoned the developer who decided to change colour of the structures so that “they do not resemble crosses”.

'Different drinking cups for different religions'

Then came the episode of different cups for different religions. I chided the Education Ministry for its silence in doing nothing to prevent segregation of drinking cups placed beside a water dispenser by labelling it “murid Islam” (Muslim students) and “murid bukan Islam” (non-Muslim students).

In between, there were protests against convenience stores selling beer in “predominantly Muslim” areas. I do not how the religious zealots used their brains as I found nothing “sensitive” about it.

No one is putting the gun to anyone’s head to buy the beer. As the signs in the stores indicate, they would not sell beers to Muslims. What about a member of the “minority” community who wants to buy a couple of cans to have tipple or two at home while watching football over television? What’s the problem?

Just when you thought these garbage and baloney have been put behind us, the months of October and November rekindled an annual beer-bashing festival with the same theme – “sensitive to Muslims”.

If the zealots cannot find anything to fuel their hunger for rabble-rousing and publicity seeking, they pick on the German harvest festival called Oktoberfest. Malaysians have been used to celebrating the occasion since 1980, when the first Oktoberfest was held at the Park Royal Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. There were no problems then.

Then the “sensitive to Muslims” issue arose a few years ago which frightened the two breweries to “surrender” and carry out promotional activities quietly with little publicity and avoiding the word “Oktoberfest”.

Last week, the Sabah chapter of Parti Amanah Negara asserted that the Oktoberfest celebration on the streets of Sandakan had hurt the “sensitivities of Muslim residents”.

Self-appointed custodians of public moral

Three weeks ago, a social club in Negri Sembilan cancelled its annual Oktoberfest because they didn’t want to be labelled as being “insensitive”. The menteri besar, who by tradition is the president of the nearby golf club, has declined the post “until beer is stopped from being sold or consumed on the premises”.

Why is this rearing its ugly head even at sports and recreational club which depend partly on bar sales to fund their activities? Why are these self-appointed custodians of public moral imposing their values and standards on us?

We are to blame. Even big companies have succumbed to pressure. I can no longer enjoy my favourite ginger beer. Its labelling has been changed to ‘ginger ade’ (whatever that means, and not to be confused with ginger ale).

Like the club, the soft drink company and many of us, we haven’t been standing up to such extremist and pathetic views. We had adopted a “live and let live” attitude which has been translated as our weakness.

On most occasions, kindness is taken as weakness and is exploited. Enough is enough. We want to drink our beer in peace and be merry. If you can’t, don’t stop others from access to such privileges.

It will be wise for these self-appointed moral guardians to pay heed to Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s advice to those who complained about the uniforms of female flight attendants: “If you find the attire of our stewardesses too sexy, look away.”

Similarly, the sensitivity only arises if you consciously make an effort to watch the beer drinking. If you don’t like seeing it, just go away from the maddening crowd and enjoy sirap ais (iced syrup water) or kopi-O (black coffee) or a ginger ade at your pace. Leave the beer drinkers alone.

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R NADESWARAN says the issue of being “insensitive to Muslims” has gone overboard and is being used by a handful for personal agendas. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com - Mkini