If free-flowing alcohol is available on-board Arabic airlines, wouldn’t banning it make MAS, AirAsia a laughing stock?
MCA is damn right to argue that banning passenger aircrafts from serving alcohol on international flights is akin to clipping wings of airline companies.
Henceforth, the call by the National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (NUFAM) to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) to look into the handling of alcohol by Muslim cabin crew is short-sighted.
One has to agree with the MCA that the enforcement of such a proposal will cause Malaysia’s commercial airlines industry to lose out on their competitive advantage. Ultimately, the biggest losers would be the employees in the private aviation sector themselves.
“The free-flowing alcohol served on board Middle Eastern airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways and the hospitality by the tourism bodies of these countries without interference from religious authorities are a passenger puller from the international audience,” contended MCA Youth secretary general Saw Yee Fung in a media statement.
“Adapting to clients’ needs rather than compelling customers to adopt one’s values will encourage travellers to fly with Malaysian-based airlines.”
As Malaysia has already missed out on the Taylor Swift’s exclusive concert to Singapore, NUFAM could have instead proposed to the Transport Ministry to incentivise flying the billionaire songstress or other big-name pop artistes or West End or Broadway theatre companies and their entourages on board Malaysian-registered commercial air carriers,
“If the negotiations are successful, the montages of these celebrities could also be embellished on the airplanes flying them in,” envisages Saw. “Travellers would then be attracted to fly in these Malaysian-registered aircrafts given their association with international celebrities.”
More broadly, MCA also voiced its discontent that “the growing trend towards conservatism in our country is becoming increasingly worrisome”.
“While MCA Youth is not questioning the religious beliefs of any individual, one’s personal beliefs should not be imposed in the workplace of politics,” justified Saw.
Last week, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Senator Zulkifli Hasan remarked in in the Dewan Rakyat that JAKIM will consider a suggestion for convenience stores to use self-service machines to sell alcoholic beverages so that Muslim workers would not have to handle these items.
Subsequently, NUFAM also advocated for a universal prohibition of alcohol consumption on board flights – a proposal which will not bode positively for our aviation industry and downstream suppliers.”
“Economic and business activities are objective issues which should not be entangled with personal beliefs, political stances and other elements. On the contrary, they are closely related to people’s livelihoods and rice bowls,” asserted Saw.
“Religious beliefs involve personal piety and should be followed through with self-discipline and self-restraint in accordance with one’s own religious teachings rather than attempting to forbid or interfere with the religious professions and freedoms of others.” – March 12, 2024
Middle East airlines overwhelmingly hire foreign nationals as cabin crew.
ReplyDeleteThey have no choice but to accept their work conditions.