The federal government collected RM4.5 billion from gambling taxes between May 2018 and September 2019.
These figures were not picked from thin air. Then Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said in a written parliamentary reply that the sin tax — imposed on tobacco, alcohol, and gambling — was also collected from tobacco products worth RM4.4 billion and RM3.6 billion from alcohol sales.
Two months later, the Pakatan Harapan government fell, and the backdoor government was in place, but the sin tax remained a hot potato as there were some religious bigots on the front bench.
In November 2021, when current Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong was then sitting in the opposition bench as the Bukit Mertajam MP, asked:
“Does the government plan to separate the tax revenue from alcohol and gambling – known as the sin tax – from the consolidated fund to be used for the development of non-Muslims?”
Such a question arose after the PAS-led Kedah state government ordered all local councils in the state to ban lottery gaming outlets, followed by the ban on the sale of liquor in sundry, retail, and Chinese medicine shops in Kuala Lumpur.
Then deputy finance minister II Yamani Hafez Musa said PAS was concerned about this “sinful money” being used for Muslim people and the development of Islam.
However, he said all revenue from excise taxes - on hard liquor, tobacco products, cars, and so on - was added to the government’s consolidated fund.
In addressing the issue, I wrote: “Ordinarily, a country cannot have a dual taxation system – one for all and sundry, and another for goods and services not acceptable to one section of the population.
“But considering how the Keluarga Malaysia concept has meandered to benefit just one community and the noises it makes against arak and judi (alcohol and gambling), it certainly needs serious attention.
“But will those righteous people who continue to impose their values on others and trample rights tell the government to segregate the sin tax?”
Why is the issue being resurrected?
For over 30 years, breweries in Malaysia have been raising money for vernacular schools and charitable organisations without a fuss.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said Tiger Beer raised over RM400 million for Chinese primary schools in that period.
But last week, the Education Ministry raised a related issue: “The ministry takes this seriously, and we wish to remind school administrators to adhere to existing guidelines when it comes to organising programmes and receiving donations.
“And this covers the prohibition of receiving donations from gains made through gambling activities, cigarette manufacturers, alcoholic beverage makers, and its likes as they could jeopardise our students physically, intellectually.”
Why the resurrection after all these years? The practice has been going on for 30 years without any problems. When religion is intertwined with politics, the whole issue takes a different and, perhaps, a dangerous dimension.
What prompted it was a group photograph of a presentation mock cheque with the brewery company logo on it. Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Aiman Athirah Sabu was among the dozen people in it.
Selangor PAS Youth chief Mohamed Sukri Omar (top pic) took to Facebook to criticise Aiman, calling the matter an embarrassment.
“If this is how an Amanah leader is going to behave, Islam’s sanctity will be under threat by liberalisation masked as Islam,” he said on Facebook.
How does holding a piece of cardboard with a beer logo pose a threat or challenge the purity of a religion?
This happens when two parties compete to see whose shade of green is brighter. The party that shouts louder wins, regardless of how illogical or irrational their conduct is.
Instead of standing on her ground, Aiman issued a condescending apology.
“I believe people understand the situation and will not fall for the slander being spread. People make mistakes, and in any case, I apologise to those who may have been slighted by this,” Sinar Harian reported her as saying.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he would seek the cabinet’s view about revising the ministry’s guidelines at the cabinet meeting today.
“The guideline should not have such restrictions, at least not for Chinese primary schools,” he said. However, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek ruled out providing exemptions or reviewing guidelines that bar schools from receiving funds generated from selling tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.
So, will the issue be discussed and debated or will the Madani government bow to the wishes of the majority who use race and religion to pander to the Malay-Muslim electorate?
Malaysians wait with bated breath. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN has continually advocated that the policy of “live and let live” must prevail and that religion should never be an equation in government or governance. 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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