Kedah entertainment ban stays, says MB’s aide
Azizan felt the interference by DAP was “extreme,” said his political aide.
(The Malaysian Insider) – The PAS-led Kedah government will not revoke its controversial ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan despite pleas from its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partner DAP to do so, a state official said today.
Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, political secretary to Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak, issued a strongly-worded statement today that the state government will not withdraw the ruling despite opposition, saying the government was just enforcing a 1997 law.
“Ustaz Azizan will not back down! That is his stand on this issue,” said Sanusi in the statement carried by PAS website Harakahdaily.
“I am sure that all Muslims will stand firm behind him in handling this issue,” he added.
The MCA has accused PAS of violating human rights with the ban on 13 types of entertainment outlets from operating in the state during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The PAS national leadership has asked its Kedah chapter to explain the ban at a meeting tomorrow.
DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang recently urged the state government to withdraw the ban, which covers businesses such as karaoke centres and discos as well as live performances in readily accessible locations such as bars, hotels and restaurants.
Only cybercafés, bowling alleys and snooker centres are exempted from the ruling.
He pointed out that his party’s Kedah chapter never agreed to the ban as the matter was not raised at the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat (PR) council level.
Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia highlighted the parties’ differences today, saying it “pitied” PAS for being “bullied endlessly” by the DAP.
Today, Sanusi said Kedah has never allowed any form of entertainment since 1997, including on Friday nights all year round.
According to Sanusi, Azizan also thought it was “extreme” for a DAP representative from another state to urge the PAS leader to revoke the ban.
“It is not in line with the Pakatan Rakyat spirit,” Sanusi quoted Azizan as saying.
The political aide also asked if PAS’s entry into PR meant that Muslim leaders must always yield to non-Muslims.
“Controlling activities that will destroy religious living among the Muslims is the essence of the teachings of Islam, which is the official religion. It is also an Islamic obligation, especially upon rulers, that should be understood by all parties in PR and even BN (Barisan Nasional),” said Sanusi.
