“Is Putrajaya seeking to resuscitate ailing non-Malay (BN) parties by staging ‘interventions’?”

“Is Putrajaya seeking to resuscitate ailing non-Malay (BN) parties by staging ‘interventions’?”



PENANG Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr Ramasamy Palanisamy has questioned the sudden need for the Customs Department to enforce the licensing requirements for the sales of alcohol in restaurants and coffee shops.

Beer and stout are traditionally sold in Chinese coffee shops without any problems, and these are consumed by ordinary people and not the rich who can frequent more expensive establishments, he added.


“All of a sudden the liquor license was introduced and whether this directive was related to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) recent move to ban sundry shops, convenience stores and Chinese medicine shops from selling hard liquor is not clear.


“[One has to wonder] if this was related to the subsequent ban on 4D gambling and the restriction on the sale of alcohol in rural areas in Kedah.”

However, Ramasamy noted that if one thing is clear, it is that there are slow but sure attempts to restrict or ban the sale of alcohol in the country.

“Since the vast majority of those who consume beer and liquor are the non-Malays, there is no doubt these restrictions are meant to constrict democratic space for the non-Malays or non-Muslims.

“On the matter of alcohol, the Government seems keen to take away the rights of non-Malays in deciding whether to consume alcohol or not.”

He reckoned that there is another subtle element in the restriction of the sale of alcohol either by an outright ban or through licensing.

“Just before major events like the general election, there is need to give credibility to non-Malay parties to [boost] their support. Was the announcement on the licensing of beer and stout made to enhance the popularity of Barisan Nasional-Chinese parties like MCA?

“Apparently MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong spoke to Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz who in turn rescinded the licensing directive.

“This was the impression given by Wee to make it look as though MCA had intervened on behalf of the predominantly-Chinese coffeeshop owners.

“If the licensing requirement was a charade meant to beef up support for MCA, the withdrawal of the directive could have possibly boosted the image of MCA in the eyes of the Chinese,” Ramasamy claimed.

He went on to note that this matter is not over yet, and that if the Finance Ministry (MOF) passes over the power of licensing to the states, then states controlled by PAS such as Kedah will bear the brunt and this might “wreak havoc on the lives of the non-Muslims”.

Federal Government is playing politics

According to Ramasamy, the Government’s duplicity in playing politics with matters concerning non-Malays goes beyond enforcing licence requirement for alcohol sales at eateries or with the withdrawal of the directive.

“Thaipusam is another [similar matter]. With the COVID-19 pandemic in its final lap, the movement control order (MCO) has become [non-existent] so why is there still a need for the Government to ban chariot processions?

“When the Opposition criticised the Government for this bad decision, National Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Sadique responded by saying that the Government has yet to make the final decision.

“Just like MCA who sought to ‘rescue’ the Chinese community from the liquor licensing issue, MIC also rose to the occasion to ‘rescue’ the Indian community with MOC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan quickly announcing that MIC would intervene on behalf of the Indian community.

“It was the same Saravanan who had obtained permission for the chariot processions for two Hindu temples – one in Kuala Lumpur and another in Penang – in the thick of the pandemic earlier this year.”

Calling MIC’s intervention “utter nonsense” when there is no need to ban chariot processions for next year’s Thaipusam, Ramasamy reiterated Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB)’s stand that it will defy the federal directive.

“I have a strange feeling that the licensing requirement for the sale of alcohol in coffeeshops and the subsequent withdrawal of the directive is [politically-fuelled].

“The impression is given that it was through the efforts of MCA that the Chinese community was ‘saved’ from this terrible punishment.

“Similarly, around the same time, the announcement that the chariot procession would not be permitted during Thaipusam next year was something staged to allow for MIC’s intervention.

“Both cases clearly show how the Government seeks to resurrect the ailing ethnic parties in the country, namely MCA and MIC and as such, the economic, financial and religious concerns of the non-Malays are set aside for political reasons.” – Dec 10, 2021