There is nothing for the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing to clarify concerning the serving of alcohol at a recent Gala Dinner held during the Global Travel Meet. Tourism is a big business and Malaysians should let the minister to do his work to bring revenue and business into the country.

What we need is money coming into the country to help the economy, not picking on the issues that liqueur should not be served just because there is a directive to ban liqueur during official functions because Muslims are around and we have to respect their presence?

Even if there is a directive that no liqueur could be served in government functions or functions to be attended by Muslims, this directive is void or not enforceable, because I could not find any law for the issue of such directives to prohibit liqueur be served in government functions. Such directives could create a very dangerous precedent to the harmony of a multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysian society.

There is also no law to restrict or prohibit what types of foods and drinks that non-Muslims should or not take during public functions. The rights of non-Muslims to their foods and drinks and their right of choice should also be respected.

In our society many Buddhists don’t take meat and Hindus don’t take beef.

If one is speaking about racial or social harmony, how about serving meat and beef during festive seasons and during government functions? Should these be banned? If the government bans liqueur in functions, meat, especially, beef should also be banned on the table during functions as well.

Voon Lee Shan,
President,
Parti Bumi Kenyalang