If it was aimed at showing that the federal coalition government is greener than the opposition, it did not work. If it was aimed at placating conservatives that it was against LGBT elements, it was ignored.
Seizing and later banning Swatch watches with rainbow colours did much more - making the prime minister and country a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.
But do this country and its leaders care about all the negative comments? No. For political expediency, they were willing to risk all but the results of the elections did not turn out to be what it expected.
Having put the cart before the horse by seizing the watches in May - the gazette notification came three months later - three days before the Aug 12 elections. Didn’t it smack of electioneering?
Malaysians did not rush to surrender their watches but the move created a healthy and thriving black market for the watches. It would be right to assume that many took the ban as a sick joke.
International infamy
The news made headlines in scores of newspapers and agencies throughout the world.
On record, the Home Ministry claimed that “Swatch products have been banned as they are detrimental, or possibly detrimental, to morality, the public interest and national interest by promoting, supporting, and normalising the LGBT movement which is not accepted by the general public of Malaysia,”.
“Wear a rainbow Swatch watch in Malaysia and you could face three years in jail” thundered CNN.
The Guardian wrote: “Owners or sellers of rainbow-coloured timepieces made by the Swiss watchmaker Swatch face three years in prison in Malaysia, the interior ministry has said, as the Muslim-majority country rails against LGBT symbols it says could ‘harm morals’.”
The South China Morning Post noted that homosexuality is a crime in Malaysia and that rights groups have warned of growing intolerance against the country’s LGBT community. Malaysia has jailed or caned people for homosexuality.
How wearing a watch or any other apparel promotes and supports the LGBT movement has not been explained and is incomprehensible.
This is not the first time the country has made international headlines for the wrong reasons.
In 2016, the BBC reported food outlets selling hot dogs in Malaysia have been asked to rename their products or risk being refused halal certification.
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), a religious government body, said it adopted the ruling after complaints from Muslim tourists.
The BBC then quoted a director, Sirajuddin Suhaimee, as saying that the name might cause “confusion”.
“In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification,” he said.
Sirajuddin later claimed it was a general statement, and that one outlet under scrutiny at the time had not received their halal certification due to documentation issues.
The outlet renamed its hot dog product regardless.
Before that, beverage manufacturers succumbed to pressure to rename their products - ginger beer and root beer.
But what those insisting on the change forgot is that it is the content - not the label, brand, or what it is called. But then, there’s always an escape clause - causing confusion.
A common refrain
In the past, two phrases - “harm morals” and “cause confusion” had been consistently used to bully ordinary folk into submitting to the wants of certain elements who want to show they are more religious than the other.
Anything resembling a cross - even an air well - was seen as “causing confusion” among the faith. Besides getting their two minutes of fame on TV, they portrayed themselves as the defenders of the faith.
The ban on the sale of Swatch watches and related paraphernalia does not mean you cannot own them. They are available online and surely, the Customs Department can’t check each of the thousands of packages which come in daily from other countries.
Watches with rainbow-coloured straps are available in pasar malam (night market) and the ban only applies to one brand of watch.
What would happen if I turn up at a ministerial press conference wearing a rainbow-coloured T-shirt under my jacket with one of those watches on my wrist? - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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