MCA: Ban coming on nightspots in Penang, too

MCA vice-president Chor Chee Heung has warned Penangites that a ban on nightspots similar to the one in Kedah may be considered in Penang, the DAP’s heartland.

In a statement issued today, Chor ( right ) said that it was “equally unsettling” that the matter was being considered in Penang.

He said Penang has a greatly diverse population, and curbs on the operating hours of entertainment hubs would be seriously detrimental to the livelihood of owners.

He stressed that this would  infringe on the rights of Penangites.

“With Ramadan being a month long, a cut in attendees is hard enough on owners, lessening hours will be even more damaging to their income,” said the MCA Alor Setar MP.

“Before PAS and Pakatan Rakyat go about trying to morally police the Muslims of Malaysia, they should be sure to double check the consequences of their actions, especially when it contradicts their manifestos,” he added.

Asked about this, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng refuted Chor's statement, saying the state government would not implement the ban as neighbouring Kedah did.

"Everything will be as last year. There will be no changes. We will not impose any ban on nightspots," Lim added.

Chor then fired one his strongest salvoes yet at the Pakatan government in Kedah, saying its latest ruling violates the coalition’s Buku Jingga .

Pakatan has been going around the nation promoting its Orange Book , the coalition’s manifesto outlining policies it would implement should it take over Putrajaya.

He said that in its manifesto, PAS wants to “increase and broaden the middle-income-group” across all races, so as to enhance the purchasing power (of the people).”

In Pakatan’s Orange Book , he added,  an entire section is dedicated to “Increasing the rakyat’s disposable income.”

‘Bans go against both manifestos’

“Yet bans on the operation of business clearly go against this section of both manifestos,” said Chor who is also Housing and Local Government Minister.

“Beyond the obvious ignorance of their own manifesto, it is distressing to see that the opposition is willing to sacrifice the economic gains of non-Muslim entertainment hub owners in order to ensure that there is no immoral behavior gong on during Ramadan,” he added.

Chor was responding to a hot issue in Kedah over the ban of entertainment outlets by Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak during Ramadan.

Azizan ( left ), who is PAS state commissioner, said this ruling was in accordance with a 1997 state enactment, which the BN did not properly implement during its rule.

He blamed DAP for being “uncharacteristically silent on this issue”, but today the party’s Kota Darul Aman assemblyperson Lee Guan Aik has hit out at PAS for its hasty decision and for not consulting its coalition partners over the controversial issue.

Chor said the Chinese in Kedah are soon going to learn the painful truth that in order for DAP to try and amass power through Pakatan Rakyat, they are willing to sacrifice the rights of their supporters and have already started doing so.

Meanwhile, Chor reminded the public that during the time when BN controlled Kedah, the government did not force entertainment centres to shut down because they trusted the people to make their own decisions.

He added that  PAS and Pakatan should take a lesson from BN’s experiences in Kedah and have faith in their constituents to make their own choices.

“It is not the state’s business to control a person - that borders on the infringement of human rights, as our own MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief Chua Tee Yong said in response to the whole matter,” he said.

“The multiracial rakyat must be wondering why the BN government was able to manage the issue so well during each Ramadan, whereas the PAS controlled government simply bulldozed through blindly with utter disregard of the rights of non-Muslims,” he quipped.