Gerakan Youth will take legal action against the opposition if it doesn't lift its Ramadan ban in Kedah.
The PAS-led Kedah state government unexpectedly announced on Wednesday that all entertainment outlets in the state, including karaoke centres and discotheques, would not be allowed to operate during Ramadan which begins in August.
Excluded from this decision were cybercafes as well as snooker and bowling centres.
The ban came under fire from various quarters on both sides of the political divide but Kedah Menteri Besar, Azizan Abdul Razak, insisted that the regulation fell under the state Entertainment Enactment 1997.
However, Kedah Gerakan Youth chief, Tan Keng Liang, said in a statement today that the ban provided no exception for non-Muslims.
“The decision will severely affect the tourism industry in Langkawi,” he pointed out.
“It also challenges the basic human rights of non-Muslims in the state and will cause difficulties to operators and employees of entertainment outlets.”
Kedah Gerakan Youth gave Pakatan national leaders one week to reverse the decision.
“In the event that Pakatan fails to meet our demand by July 22, we will not hesitate to commence legal proceedings to protect the interest of all Kedahans,” Tan warned.
“Any further procrastination would cause more ambiguity over state policies,” he added.
He also flayed DAP and PKR for “sacrificing Kedahans as a tribute to please PAS” despite DAP’s call for the revocation of the ban.
“Kedahans do not need any rhetoric protest from any DAP or PKR leader which would not solve the predicament faced by Kedahans,” Tan stated.
Meanwhile, MCA pointed out that the ban contradicted PAS’ manifesto and Pakatan’s Orange Book which states the opposition’s dedication to promoting economic welfare.
It also said that the ban was an indication that PAS had not given up on its idea of forming an Islamic state.
However, PAS Youth threw its support behind the decision and urged Azizan not to be pressured into backpedaling on it.
DAP: Ban bad for Pakatan
Meanwhile, DAP chairman Karpal Singh assured the people in Kedah that the party was taking every effort to persuade the state government to revoke the decision.
“Pakatan Rakyat cannot afford to have policies which alienate its supporters. The state government’s decision should not affect non-Muslims,” he said in a statement.
He added that any by-law which discriminated against non-Muslims will stand unconstitutional.
He stressed that DAP will not support the decision to ban the 13 types of entertainment outlets during the fasting month.
“DAP will demand that this ban is lifted in the interest of the public and also the Pakatan Rakyat,” he said.
He said “political rejects” MCA and Gerakan should not try to portray themselves as the people’s champions by playing up this issue.
1 comment:
I’m sure that there are several reforms that Malaysia should undergo. Let’s at least get one thing reformed: education. As it is, there are three language streams in Malaysia. That, is, there are Malay-medium, Chinese-medium, and Tamil-medium schools currently operating in Malaysia. Then somebody decided to teach maths and science in English in all these three school systems. Next, somebody decided to flip-flop and remove the teaching of Maths and Science in English. What’s going on? They introduce English and then they remove it. There are too many flip flops.
Therefore, I read something interesting as a solution. Let me share it with you.
Firstly, lets leave the three language school system as it is.
Let’s focus on kindergarten schools. Let’s allow private kindergarten schools to have total autonomy from political intervention. If private kindergarten schools are allowed to teach the 3R’s (reading, writing, arithmetic) in English, then it may solve the problem.
Hopefully, the next generation of Malaysian children will firstly go for three years to an English kindergarten. After completing a stint in the English kindergarten, next the children will enter primary school. In primary school, they have to choose between Malay, Chinese, and Tamil medium schools. Eventually, they will complete secondary school education.
These students will be more multi-lingual and therefore will be an asset to the nation in a globalizing world.
In any case, almost all the universities (both government and private) use English language text books. Therefore, we have to connect English kindergartens on the one hand with English language text books in universities on the other hand. Do you see the connection now?
In any case, it is better than flip flopping.
If you do agree with me, please copy and remail it to whom it may concern. Those who receive it must in turn copy and remail it to whom it may concern. Let’s get the word around to as many people as possible. Let’s see what happens.
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