Khalid Ibrahim rejected Selangor PAS’ call to strip ronnie liu;; malaysia islamist's pas booze ban could fuel feud!;

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has rejected Selangor PAS’ call to strip state exco member Ronnie Liu

SHAH ALAM: Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has rejected Selangor PAS’ call to strip state exco member Ronnie Liu of his local government portfolio over the seizure of beer at a convenience store, brushing it off as a non-issue.

He has also imposed a gag order on all exco members state government officials, barring them from making any comment on the issue.

Khalid said the decision to impose a gag order was made at the state exco meeting yesterday after several members raised concern over the issue related to the sale of alcoholic drinks in Muslim populated areas.

“This action is essential to avoid further confusion on the issue which may cause unnecessary discomfort among Selangor multiracial community,” he said.

Asked if Liu was interfering with the enforcement operations of the local authorities as claimed by PAS, Khalid said: “I don’t want to jeopardise my thinking process in giving an answer.

“I am tasked to solve the problem with guidelines on the sale of alcoholic beverages that would take into account the sensitivities of all races.”

Khalid stressed that this would be the best method to find a fair settlement to the dispute.

“Once we solve the issue, it will become a non-issue. Until Friday, no state official and exco member can issue statements on the beer issue as we want to discuss it at the Selangor State Economic Council meeting to find a quick solution,” he told reporters.

Khalid said the decision to be reached would help traders and the public to understand the state government’s stand.

“We need to come out with clear guidelines to avoid further confusion on the issue which might cause discomfort among multi-racial and multi-cultural Selangor folk,” he said.

Asked if the Selangor PAS’ proposal for a ban on alcoholic beverage sale in Muslim-majority areas of Selangor would cause a rift among parties in the Pakatan Rakyat state government and derail the states administration, Khalid declined comment.

On Tuesday, Selangor PAS commissioner and state exco member Datuk Dr Hasan Ali called for Liu to be stripped of his portfolio as the party claimed that Liu had interfered with the work of local councils.

Malaysia Islamists booze ban could fuel feud

Reuters - Wednesday, August 5

By Razak Ahmad

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 - Malaysia's Islamist party on Tuesday demanded full implementation of a rarely enforced alcohol ban for Muslims in the country's most developed state, a move that could reignite a feud in the country's opposition.

The opposition Pan Malaysian Islamic Party , which rules the state of Selangor along with two other parties, also called for the removal of an ethnic Chinese state leader who protested the recent seizures of beer from convenience stores in the state.

Selangor, home to Malaysia's only two breweries, Guinness Anchor Bhd [GUMS.KL] and Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd [CBMS.KL], was one of five states won by the Anwar Ibrahim-led Peoples Alliance in general elections last year.

The move again highlights weaknesses within the rainbow opposition grouping made up of PAS, the stridently secular and mainly ethnic Chinese Democratic Action Party , and Anwar's own People's Justice Party .

"The initiatives are to free the Muslims of Selangor from the influence and culture of alcohol which is forbidden in Islam, and not to interfere in the rights of non-Muslims," said Hasan Ali, Selangor PAS chief.

Selangor is one of five states the opposition won in the 2008 general elections, the best performance for the Anwar-led alliance which remains on track as a contender to wrest power in the next polls that must be held by 2013.

PAS and DAP have occasionally traded barbs in public, among others over PAS' aims of imposing the alcohol ban in Selangor, which at one point would have banned the sale of alcohol in convenience stores in the state.

A vague and rarely enforced ban against alcohol for Muslims was enacted under State Islamic laws in 1995.

While PAS is the smallest party in the state government holding only eight out of 56 seats, a pullout from the alliance could lead to a collapse of the state government.

PAS imposes a ban on alcohol for Muslims in the state of Kelantan where it rules, limiting sales only to non-Muslims.

Recently a Muslim woman was sentenced to whipping after she was caught drinking beer.

source : thestar.com.my

Battle to curb booze tests Malaysia opposition

By SEAN YOONG,Associated Press Writer AP - Thursday, August 6

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's main Islamic party defended its plan to curb the sale of alcohol in a state capital, saying Wednesday that minorities, including its Chinese allies, should respect Muslim sensitivities by not interfering.

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Stores nationwide are already banned from selling alcohol to Muslims, forbidden to drink by law, but the new plan would ban certain outlets from selling booze to anyone _ including ethnic Chinese and Indian Malaysians, who are mostly Christian, Buddhist and Hindu.

The country's biggest opposition group, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, wants to ban liquor sales at convenience stores and gasoline stations in ethnic Malay Muslim-majority neighborhoods of Shah Alam, the capital of central Selangor state.

But PAS is facing resistance to the plan from its partners in the ethnic Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party. Both are part of a racially diverse three-party alliance that won control of Selangor's legislature last year and rules four of Malaysia's 13 states.

The disagreement, while not causing any extensive rift in the opposition alliance, underscores ideological differences that have strained ties, particularly between conservative Muslims and religious minorities.

Ethnic Chinese and Indians, who make up about one-third of Malaysia's population, have long been suspicious of PAS, partly because the party introduced policies such as banning gambling and nightclubs in a northern state that it has ruled since 1990.

Khalid Samad, the PAS member of Parliament for Shah Alam, said the move to curb alcohol sales was a response to requests by Muslim residents who are uneasy about liquor being sold near mosques, even though Muslims are forbidden by Islamic Shariah laws to buy or consume alcohol.

"This is not a political agenda, it is about being sensitive to the wishes of the public," Khalid told The Associated Press. "Some residents believe that the outlets are selling beer even to schoolchildren."

The plan gained more attention after another PAS state official, Hassan Ali, said Monday that it should also be enforced in other Muslim-majority parts of Selangor. Khalid said party leaders have not discussed whether that would be their formal stance.

Tony Pua, an official in the Democratic Action Party, said his party was not trying to promote alcohol consumption, but stressed that businesses with legitimate licenses should not be barred from selling liquor.

"We seek to protect the rights of the Malaysian minorities and seek reasonable measures to be implemented to achieve the objective of all parties," Pua said.

Small retail outlets and gasoline stations typically only sell beer with low alcohol content, while other liquor is available at larger stores. Those would not be affected by the Islamic party's plan, which is unlikely to be implemented for at least several more weeks.

However, Shah Alam city officers drew criticism when they recently confiscated 70 beer cans from a convenience store. Ethnic Chinese officials said such seizures should only be conducted if the outlet is caught selling alcohol to Muslims.

source : thestar.com.my