TWO senior lawyers, including a former de facto law minister, have questioned the rationale behind a proposal for 24-hour convenience outlets to facilitate sale of alcoholic drinks only through special vending machines.
S. Raveentharan, a former PKR deputy secretary-general, said elected representatives should be censured in the house if they go off tangent when debating in parliament.
Leaders are elected to represent the majority of their electorate.
“Before they speak, they should conduct their own polls to determine what the people want them to dwell on instead of speaking in the wrong direction,” he said.
He was referring to Pulai MP Suhaizan Kaiat’s proposal in the Dewan Rakyat for the vending machines to be installed in convenience stores for alcoholic drinks so that Muslim attendants do not need to handle them.
Raveentharan expressed frustration at how politicians are lost in translation when serving in the august House.
He said that politicians should focus on what counts at present, which is an integrated effort to lift the country out of the economic doldrums it finds itself in.
“From the falling ringgit to intense inflation and climate change, besides the surge in traffic congestion along all major roads – these are issues which count to the people.
“We should focus on bread-and-butter issues. The people are demanding for it,” he said.
He also said that the non-Muslims respect the rights of Muslims, especially the sensitivities over handling non-halal products.
In many instances, the non-Muslim customer would rather hold the alcoholic drink bottle or can themselves and the cashier just has to scan the barcode on the item to register the price.
Or they can wear gloves to handle material deemed offensive to Islam.
“There may not be any unnecessary touching of a non-halal product if they desire,” he said, stressing that the non-Muslim customer can hold the item.
He said that the issues raised in parliament should be centred on the declining ringgit and ways to boost the national currency against regional currencies.
Then, there is also a need to consolidate resources to ward off the ill effects of the global uncertainty, he added.
Meanwhile, former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim described Suhaizan’s proposal is simply a “misadventure” and impractical in the age of fast-moving consumer items.
If this were to happen, said Zaid, a former Kota Baru MP, no Muslim driver should be allowed to handle non-halal products, while the same should apply to those serving alcohol on board airliners to non-Muslim passengers who order such beverages.
“No Muslim customs officers should also be allowed to inspect beer consignments and impose duties,” Zaid said in a social media post.
Issue of flight attendants
Suhaizan, an Amanah lawmaker, had made the call when taking part in a debate in parliament.
He had asked Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Zulkifli Hasan in the Dewan Rakyat if the federal government could find a way to help Muslims working at convenience stores to avoid handling alcoholic beverages.
“For example, we could discuss with the local authorities to create guidelines for the sale of alcoholic beverages via vending machines,” he said.
“Hence, they (Muslim workers) don’t have to directly sell alcoholic beverages.”
Zulkifli qualified the proposal as something worth exploring.
Meanwhile, National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam) called on the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) to look into the issue of Muslim aviation workers handling alcoholic drinks.
In a statement, its secretariat claimed that this has been one of the major concerns of cabin crews for the past few decades but has not been addressed until today.
“Perhaps a new policy needs to be undertaken to find a way to deal with Muslim workers in handling alcohol because it is part of their job.
“Previously, an employee was reprimanded for refusing to serve the drinks to customers,” the Nufam secretariat said.
It added that banning the consumption of alcohol during flights has several positive effects as it can prevent medical complications for passengers who may put themselves at risk from excessive consumption of intoxicating drinks during flights.
“This is because we have seen many cases involving air rage and cases of sexual harassment during flights involving drunken passengers,” added Nufam. – The Vibes, March 10, 2024
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