KOTA KINABALU – If coffee was your cultural drink, would you not be offended if someone compared it to urine?
This was the question posed by Sabah-based think tank Wisdom Foundation chairman Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau when he was asked about the negative remarks recently made during the climax of the “Timah” controversy.
During a webinar hosted by Wisdom titled “Alcohol and Borneo Sensitivity” last Saturday, Tangau, as one of the panellists, said alcoholic beverages are part of the culture and custom in Sabah and Sarawak.
“In Sabah, it has become a tradition, a custom for a group of people – villagers, family or friends – to eat and drink together after an activity such as a gotong-royong. This does not mean that we in Borneo are alcoholics.
“We also have alcoholic drinks, like lihing, montoku, bahar, tuak, langkau, that are part of our indigenous cultural heritage.
For us in Borneo, people (non-Muslims) who choose to drink alcohol responsibly should not be shamed or stopped. The Timah whiskey incident is in a way offensive to the people in Borneo.
“There is an element of denying the way of life of the Borneo people here.
“If we are imposed with rules of a certain religion, then it will be against the secular Federation of Malaysia signed by our forefathers, in which individuals have the freedom to engage in activities that may be considered ‘personal vices’ in some religions including drinking alcohol so long as it is within legal confines.”
Tangau, who is also Upko president and Tuaran MP, said he wishes for Sabah’s way of living to be left undisturbed.
“This is our way of living and we have been fine until today. If the people from the other side (peninsula) don’t understand us, simply don’t offend our sensitivity.”
Tangau had written an article on the topic a few days ago, calling five federal ministers who are from Borneo to speak in one voice in the cabinet meeting to put an end to the campaign to force the manufacturer of Timah to change the whiskey’s name and image.
“To me, discussion about alcohol is fine; everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. However, when certain politicians who are chasing for influence speak as if the people of Borneo do not exist, it offends our sensitivity. That was why I wrote the article.”
The “Timah” issue worsened after Tangga Batu PKR lawmaker Rusnah Aluai likened consuming the Timah whiskey to “drinking Malay women”.
Prof Jayum Jawan, who was another panelist in the forum, said such a sensitive issue that involves religious sensitivities will resurface from time to time until the root cause is tackled.
These issues will come back. Back then, it was the use of the word ‘Allah’, now ‘Timah’. There will be more until the root cause is solved, which is the poor relationship between people of different races and religions in Malaysia.
“This needs a comprehensive approach,” said Jayum, who is also the founding dean of the Humanities, Management and Science Faculty of Universiti Putra Malaysia in Bintulu.
Another panellist, founder of Orang Wanita Empowerment and Revolution Datin Fazar Arif, agreed with Jayum that the root cause needs to be addressed.
She also agreed that drinking alcohol in Sabah is part of the culture here, and it is how the people interact and celebrate in Borneo.
“However, as a Muslim, I would like to note that saying that the Timah whiskey would get Muslims confused is offensive to the people of Islam. Alcoholic drinks have their own section in the supermarkets, how could one get confused?
“We should be intellectual, use our intellect, and take care of our own morals,” she said. – The Vibes, November 9, 2021
