Kemaman markets told to close during Friday prayers, NGO disagrees

An NGO has cried foul after the Kemaman Municipal Council ordered supermarkets under its jurisdiction to close for two hours every Friday during Muslim prayer times.

In a notice published on Sunday, the council instructed all supermarkets in Kemaman, Terengganu to halt operations from 12.30pm to 2.30pm on Fridays.

It similarly ordered all “Muslim food premises” to close for an hour on Fridays, between 1pm and 2pm.

These rules will come into effect this Friday (Jan 21).

“A reminder that failure to comply with this rule is an offence and can be subjected to enforcement action,” the notice read.

These rules were revised from an earlier notice that ordered “all business premises” to halt operations from 1pm to 2pm every Friday.

Terengganu is governed by Islamist party PAS.

Affects rights of businesses, consumers

In response to these new rules, the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) said they risked infringing on the rights of business owners and consumers.

It also disagreed on grounds that the rules failed to reflect Malaysia’s multicultural and multireligious nature.

“We are perplexed by the policy of closing supermarkets at 12.30pm, believing that this action ignores the rights and interests of non-Muslim supermarket retailers and jeopardises free-market trading [...]

“Forcing (the) relevant policies will not only limit the business hours of non-Muslim businesses in the mall but also erode the inherent freedom of consumption of non-Muslims, affecting their daily work and rest,” the NGO said.

It was further concerned that these rules may be extended to other parts of Terengganu.

The KLSCAH thus urged the Kemaman Municipal Council to rescind the order.

“The KLSCAH urges the council to immediately withdraw this policy…

“In addition to ensuring that the business of non-Muslim restaurants will not be affected, it should also allow non-Muslim businesses in supermarkets to operate as usual during Muslim prayer hours to serve non-Muslim customers,” it said. - Mkini