Banning of 4D shops in Kedah will not be the end

 

ADUN SPEAKS | The banning of 4D shops in Kedah is just the beginning of infringement of non-Muslims in this country.

The government, of which PAS is part of, is definitely interested in infringing the rights of the non-Malays.

PAS has no interest in good governance or competence but only in race and religious baiting for its political survival. The party imposing religious 'moral' codes onto the population and justifying it with "all religions will agree with this". Sadly some non-Malays, especially those PAS supporters, are also cheering for it.

To understand this particular issue, 4D shops licenses are issued by the Finance Ministry (MOF), to begin with. MOF will consider all the factors before issuing the licenses.

Issues such as local demography will be considered carefully prior to the issuance of such licenses. It's a no brainer for MOF to issue the licenses in areas with no significant non-Muslim population. This explains why there are no 4D shops in Kelantan or Terengganu.

How is it fair to impose a ban on a legally established business without a good justification? What is PAS' justification for the 4D shops ban in Kedah? Gambling is morally not right? Since when did non-Muslims in Malaysia need moral police to tell what is right and not?

Those who see no problems with the 4D shops' ban do not see the forthcoming greater danger. Moral policing will extend to other areas where it may even affect the non-Malays' livelihood in this country.

Kedah's PAS government is testing the water in the 4D ban, which eventually will stretch the moral policing on non-Muslims in the country with such illegal moves. The interaction of PAS federal lawmakers with a journalist on that matter is evidentially pointing towards that.

Some are saying it is in the powers of the state government to ban the 4D shops from operating, as the premise license issuance comes under the purview of the local governments.

The question here is, can the local authorities simply overstep their boundaries and stop a business from operating as they wish, despite the business securing the necessary licenses from federal authorities?

If this is allowed in the case of 4D shops in Kedah, can the state government use the local authorities to revoke the premise licenses of factories that are operating within the state, and make them illegal too, in the event of PAS decides to play the anti-West narrative for their political image?

Will this sort of illegal arm twisting tactics be used against multinationals that invested in the state?

And PAS is not just a government in Kedah but also part of the federal government. Will PAS try to exert its influence in the federal government to play the moral police role and infringe on this country's fundamental and individual liberties?

'Individual rights will be a crime'

In the latest 4D ban in Kedah, I was confronted with questions like "does your religion support gambling?" and "show me which religion supports gambling?".

My answers to these questions are simple - it's not about what my religion says is right or wrong but what law permits me to do and not.

Those who sit on the moral high ground and say, "I don't gamble, so these 4D bans are right!" are being ignorant of the consequences of allowing this illegal ban.

Tomorrow, PAS may just come out with a regulation to cancel the licenses of premises that sell beers in another stretch of moral policing.

Legally, there is no need for any businesses to apply for licenses to sell beers as it's not covered by liquor licenses. And those sundry shops that were legally operating may become illegal overnight.

Following that, the PAS government may extend the ban for eateries to sell non-halal foods and cancel the licenses of non-halal restaurants.

If one chooses to support the moves by saying, "I don't drink beer, so I don't care, as it won't affect me" or "I don't eat at eateries, so I don't care", eventually the infringement of individual rights will continue to a point where any talk of individual rights will be a crime.

Those "neutral" non-Malays, who chose to support the illegal move of the Kedah PAS government, fail to see the greater danger in front of their eyes.

Subjecting ourselves to the moral policing of PAS will only lead to more damages to our individual rights.

Not surprisingly, partners of PAS, MCA and MIC in the federal government and Gerakan in Perikatan Nasional are conveniently staying silent on this issue.

And whoever speaks against PAS's illegal conduct may be targeted and rained with harsh criticisms from the right-wing elements in this country.

But, if we relent to those criticisms, Malaysia as a nation will lose, and moral policing and religious intolerance will prevail. - Mkini

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SATEES MUNIANDY is the state assemblyperson for Bagan Dalam and DAP socialist youth international secretary.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.