When the Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) pledged to continue their operations against business to ensure compliance to their by-laws including non-display of ‘sexy posters’, they really kept true to their words by stalking on non-Muslim business entities.

PAS’ moral policing descends into harassment against non-Muslim business operators when once again, on July 26, 2016, enforcement officers slapped a RM150 fine against another Chinese operator who retailing skincare products, had featured a poster whose model did not don the tudung.

As MPKB officers considered the poster so offensive, at the very least, they should have displayed magnanimity and given time to the retailer to remove it and advised how the models should be featured, (albeit under PAS’ rule, one can expect that PAS demands the models be all shrouded in burqas similar to the Talibans or the slightly milder black chador as practised in Saudi Arabia).

Even in such a situation, MCA opposes the action of issuing summons to a non-Muslim retailer as coercing one’s hardline religious values unto adherents of a different faiths. Hence, PAS’ claim that their religious values or hudud enactments do not affect non-Muslims is pure shambolic.

Non-Muslims suffer income loss not only in paying the fine, they also have to redesign the posters which incurs new fees payable to the model, designer and printer. They also risk non-renewal of business licence.

So long as the posters are modest, and do not reveal cleavage nor are pornographic in appearance or related, neither PAS nor MPKB should raise any consternation and then fault the retailer.

Patrolling retail outlets in search of posters with dress code violation is no different from PAS’ snoop squad under Ops Aurat out to apprehend Muslim women deemed dressed immodestly. Why should non-Muslims going about their daily lives live under duress in fear and trepidation that their long-held daily routine which do not affect anyone except the voyeuristic vision and mentality of enforcement officers is perceived as offensive and hence, fineable?

Rather than implement beneficial programmes to weed out drug addiction or stamp out the mat rempit menace among Kelantan youths which are real issues affecting the development of youths, talents and the state, the Kelantan PAS’ government has gotten their priorities and policies wrong.

NG CHOK SIN is MCA religious harmony bureau deputy chairperson and Selangor MCA state liaison committee secretary.