by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjong, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Java on Thursday, 22nd July 1993:
While welcoming withdrawal of Kelantan State Government regulation requiring non-Muslims to give local authorities a week’s notice for wedding, birthday or religious ceremonies, the requirement to display a banner in Bahasa Malaysia is also unacceptable and should be rescinded
Welcome the withdrawal of the Kelantan State Government regulation requiring non-Muslims to give local authorities a week’s notice wedding, birthday or religious ceremonies where liquor would be allowed.
However, the requirement that such parties should display in Bahasa Malaysia to denote its type of function is unacceptable and should be rescinded.
The PAS-led Kelantan State Government should realise that nothing more undermine its credibility if it should introduce regulation and laws which are openly disregarded – as such a regulation as a banner for wedding, birthday or other parties or religion ceremonies would definitely be generally ignored.
The Kelantan State Executive Council should be aware of the great sensitivities it had trampled upon, not only in Kelantan but throughout the country, when it sought to introduce new regulations restricting the public sale and consumption of alcohol affecting non-Muslims.
It should have realised by now that the issue is not a question of drinking alcohol – although the MCA had distracted public attention from this issue with their ill-advised proposal to organise a mammoth liquor drinking party in Kota Bahru on August 6.
PAS government leaders in Kelantan roust, understand that the issue is the right of non-Muslims to decide for themselves on questions like alcohol, and that non-Muslim religions also condemn alcoholism.
Once Islamic laws are imposed on non-Muslims denying them the right to decide for themselves on issues like alcohol, then this becomes an unacceptable infringement of non-Muslim rights and sensitivities.
For this reason, the Kelantan State Government should review its new regulation on public sale and consumption of alcohol affecting non-Muslims, and revert to the status quo as Kelantan Mentri Besar, Nik Aziz Nik Mat had promised to DAP leaders at our meeting in Kota Bahru in January 1992, including restoration of all 44 1iquor 1icenses.