Non-Malays face bleak future in PAS-led states<\/p>\n
By Wan Hamidi Hamid<\/p>\n
The Chinese community in Kelantan and Terengganu makes up about 5
\npercent of the total population there. Under the rule of the
\nfundamentalist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), they are
\nexperiencing the uncertainty of living in states where the
\neconomic prospects are bleak. The Straits Times visited both
\nOpposition-run states recently to get a feel of the conditions
\nthere affecting non-Malays.<\/p>\n
TERENGGANU, Malaysia: Last June, a 38-year-old woman who owns
\na unisex salon was among 30-odd operators of the business who
\nwere summoned for a meeting with the Terengganu state agency,
\nseven months after fundamentalist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS)
\ntook over the state.<\/p>\n
At the meeting, the operators were told that unisex salons
\nmust go. The choice: Either a barber shop or a female-
\nhairdressing salon.<\/p>\n
Chiew (not her real name), who has been in her line of
\nbusiness for more than 10 years at a small, dusty shopping mall,
\nKompleks Perdana in Kuala Terengganu, said: \"The state government
\npeople asked if we wanted to follow their directive. All of us
\nsaid no.\"<\/p>\n
She added: \"Until today, there has been no action by them, but
\nI believe they will enforce the ruling by next year.<\/p>\n
\"It will be difficult for me because 80 percent of my
\ncustomers are male, including officers of some state government
\ndepartments.\"<\/p>\n
The meeting dashed Chiew's hope of ever expanding her
\nbusiness. Her fear is that she may even have to close down her
\nsalon.<\/p>\n
Her fears are not unfounded. Last month, state executive
\ncouncillor (exco) member Wan Muttalib Embong announced that
\nunisex hair salons would be closed down and operators were given
\nuntil the end of the year to set up a separate salon.<\/p>\n
What happened in Kelantan about 10 years ago is repeating
\nitself in Terengganu. Fundamentalist PAS is more concerned with
\nits Islamic rhetoric than anything else.<\/p>\n
Among the first moves announced were the proposed non-Muslim
\ntax, called nci kharaj mtr (land tax), and closure of unisex hair
\nsalons as well as premises selling alcohol and gambling outlets,
\nsuch as Toto and Magnum 4-Digit.<\/p>\n
The non-Muslims, particularly the Chinese, are unhappy about
\nthe situation. But they are also afraid to voice their fears and
\nanger openly.<\/p>\n
While no specific reason was given for the closure of unisex
\nsalons, PAS diehards are keen to explain that it was not a
\ndiscriminatory decision. The move was to ensure vice-free hair
\nsalons or barber shops, they claim.<\/p>\n
\"What vice dens? Look at our hair salons. We only wash and cut
\ncustomers' hair,\" said a London-trained hairdresser who also
\ndeclined to be named, claiming that exposing his identity could
\njeopardize his business.<\/p>\n
But the proposed closure of unisex hair salons is not the only
\nmove affecting the non-Muslim community in the PAS-ruled states.<\/p>\n
A Class A contractor (large-scale construction-projects
\ncontractor) claims business has been down by 60 percent since
\nearly this year because of the repercussions of fundamentalist
\nIslamic rule.<\/p>\n
\"If the situation prevails, maybe I have to get out of the
\nstate and work somewhere else,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But the state exco member in charge of development, Mustafa
\nAli, questioned the motive of Chinese businessmen in highlighting
\nthe problem.<\/p>\n
\"We canceled a couple of big projects to save money,\" he said.
\n\"We don't need the state stadium and the state mosque.<\/p>\n
\"Is it because contractors didn't get the project that they
\nare making noise now?<\/p>\n
\"We did not stop other projects that had been approved by the
\nprevious state government. Many are under way. I do not
\nunderstand why people are complaining.\"<\/p>\n
Terengganu's growth rate is expected to reach 5.3 percent this
\nyear, up from 4 percent last year. Projects are on-going but
\nconcentrated in the south, particularly in Dungun and Kemaman,
\nthe oil and gas centre of the country.<\/p>\n
The state also receives RM810 million (S$368 million) in
\npetroleum royalty this year, and the payment is expected to reach
\nRM1 billion next year.<\/p>\n
However, state MCA chief Datuk Lau Yin Ping said the PAS state
\ngovernment is more concerned with petty issues than developing
\nthe state for the people's benefits.<\/p>\n
\"This government does not seem to know how to generate
\ngrowth.\" he said. \"If they keep canceling development projects,
\nthe people will suffer.<\/p>\n
\"There is no economic master plan and there is no indication
\nof a viable economic policy.\"<\/p>\n
Whatever the arguments may be, the conservative Islamic party
\nis focused on its plan to \"Islamicise\" the state.<\/p>\n
As one government officer puts it: \"More than 95 percent of
\nthe population are Muslims. These are the people that we will
\nfocus on.<\/p>\n
\"We are not being discriminatory but Islam must be upheld
\nseriously. For us, Islam is the best solution for all the
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
\"One day, the non-Muslims will understand that.\"<\/p>\n
Tan Ken Ten has two words to describe the economy of Kelantan
\n-- stale and stagnant.<\/p>\n
\"If nothing is done immediately, the prospect of economic
\ngrowth in Kelantan will be as good as dead,\" commented the
\nstate's Chinese Chambers of Commerce secretary.<\/p>\n
The east coast state has always been the country's most
\nbackward state. Its gross domestic product per capita is the
\ncountry's lowest at RM4,300 -- a third of the national average.
\nIts most famous export -- labor.<\/p>\n
In 1998, Kelantan suffered a contraction of 5.1 percent but
\nenjoyed a growth of 3.3 percent last year. The state government
\nforecasts a growth of between 3 percent and 5 percent this year.<\/p>\n
After a decade of PAS rule, much remains the same. The skyline
\nhas only been altered by the addition of several new buildings.<\/p>\n
The best and the brightest continue to flock to Kuala Lumpur,
\nSingapore and Penang.<\/p>\n
Tan and other Chinese parents -- who constitute 5 percent of
\nthe 1.4 million population -- say they will not block their
\nchildren from leaving the state.<\/p>\n
One of the main problems is the question of Malay reserve
\nland. Chinese businessmen have asked Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz
\nNik Mat to tweak the law and allow them to develop the reserve
\nland.<\/p>\n
But the plea has not had a single favorable response in 10
\nyears. As a result, investors are going to Kedah and other
\nstates, taking with them their job-creating abilities.<\/p>\n
But the charismatic Mentri Besar says that he never promised
\nan economic miracle for Kelantan. Instead, he wanted to teach
\nbasic Islamic principles and put in place an administration based
\non religious ideals.<\/p>\n
This he has done by banning the sale of alcohol in hotels and
\nthe segregation of men and women in public places such as
\nsupermarkets and cinemas.<\/p>\n
His policies and philosophy have won favor with many Malay
\nKelantanese, who show an astonishing depth of Islamic fervor. But
\nthe non-Malays view these policies and the limp economy with an
\nair of resignation.<\/p>\n
Said the owner of an electrical shop: \"We will make do with
\nwhatever we have. Business is slow but not many of us can afford
\nto leave the state. We have families here.\"<\/p>\n
Commented C.K. Liew, an optical shop owner, pointing to the
\nstock-market column in the business page of a newspaper: \"Some
\ntraders and retailers try to find other means to support their
\nincome.\"<\/p>\n
One suspects that the loose manner in which the government
\nenforces its myriad of Islamic laws also gives non-Muslims more
\nreason to stay.<\/p>\n
For example, in theory, men and women have to line up at
\nseparate counters when paying for purchases at supermarkets. But
\na visit to the Pantai Timur Supermarket showed that no one was
\nfollowing the rule.<\/p>\n
Unisex salons have officially ceased to exist but the
\nauthorities have not shut them down. A sprinkling of salons still
\noperate deep in the heart of town. Much of the resignation shown
\nby the Chinese and Indians may also reside in this simple fact:
\nThe PAS government is difficult to dislodge.<\/p>\n
The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has tried
\nunsuccessfully to defeat PAS thrice. UMNO politicians concede
\nthat wresting control of the state will be difficult as long as
\nDatuk Nik Aziz is alive.<\/p>\n
His pull has nothing to do with sound economic management or
\nfriendly policies towards non-Muslims.<\/p>\n
It is Datuk Nik Aziz's reputation for clean living that makes
\nhim a winner. Aware of his pull and PAS' likely staying power in
\nKelantan for the foreseeable future, non-Malays believe that
\ntheir best hope for economic prosperity lies in the magnanimous
\nintervention by the Federal government.<\/p>\n
Chinese Chambers of Commerce secretary Tan Ken Tan said: \"The
\nFederal government must step in now. Kelantan needs
\ninfrastructure projects immediately.\"<\/p>\n
\"If not, we will forever be bypassed by investors -- both
\nlocal and foreign companies,\" he pointed out.<\/p>\n
-- The Straits Times \/ Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/non-malays-face-bleak-future-in-pas-led-states-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }