Serve alcoholic drinks to foreigners only<\/p>\n
Protests against the imposition of a new tax on alcoholic
\ndrinks have been going on for weeks, forcing the government to
\nreview the regulation. The chairman of Indonesian Council of
\nUlemas, Hasan Basri, believes that alcoholic beverages should
\nonly be served to foreigners.<\/p>\n
Question: What is your opinion about the regulation, now that
\nseveral provinces have implemented it recently?<\/p>\n
Answer: Let's start with the law on the alcoholic beverages
\nfirst, because any regulation on them will be based on that.
\nIslam has clearly mentioned in the Holy Koran that drinking
\nkhamer (alcohol) is contemptible and a satanic deed. We,
\ntherefore, are told to stay away from it.<\/p>\n
Moreover, a hadith (saying of the Prophet) told by Abu Daud
\nand Ibnu Majah from Ibnu Umar also reveals that God curses khamer
\nand those who drink it, serve it, sell and buy it, produce it,
\nkeep it, store it, carry it and take it from anyone else. This
\nshows that alcoholic beverages are so dangerous that everybody
\nshould be afraid of them. Most ulemas are afraid of it,
\nespecially in relation to God's curse.<\/p>\n
Q: So, what do you expect the government will do about that?<\/p>\n
A: As we have all seen in the second 25-year development plan,
\nwhich began in 1994, the human resources factor is considered as
\nthe most important thing. We need good human resources, not
\nalcoholic ones. That's the target. If the government is
\nconsistent with that, they won't devise such a regulation.<\/p>\n
I have a suggestion. As this issue has become a national one,
\nit would be better off if the regulation is raised to a national
\nlevel, not regional like it is now. For example, in the form of a
\npresidential decree which bans the distribution of any alcoholic
\nbeverages in Indonesia and forbids all Indonesians to drink them.<\/p>\n
Q: Is it possible to ban alcoholic beverages altogether, while
\nwe are promoting tourism in Indonesia?<\/p>\n
A: Of course there will be exceptions, just like any other
\nregulations, especially for duty free stores and star-rated
\nhotels, which are mainly visited by foreigners. Star-rated
\nhotels, therefore, have to be designated as restricted areas for
\ndrinking alcoholic beverages. This should be strictly controlled
\nby the authorities. Indonesians should not be allowed to come and
\ndrink in these areas.<\/p>\n
By the way, I am not of those who believe that foreign
\ntourists come to Indonesia to drink alcoholic beverages or look
\nfor prostitutes. They come to enjoy our beautiful country, our
\nnature, our culture and our friendliness. Therefore, we can just
\nsay: \"Don't come to Indonesia if you are looking for alcoholic
\nbeverages. We don't serve them.\"<\/p>\n
Q: It's not an easy task ...<\/p>\n
A: Malaysia, our neighbor, is very good at doing that. They
\nhave Genting Island designated for foreigners to gamble. Every
\nforeigner is free to gamble there, but not Malaysians. Thus,
\nMalaysia is successful in protecting the morality of its own
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Q: Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie SM said the regulation
\nis meant to control the distribution of alcoholic beverages in
\nIndonesia, not to ban their consumption ...<\/p>\n
A: There is a significant difference between the two terms (to
\ncontrol and to ban). What we need to do here is ban them, not
\njust control their distribution. We have to put \"ban\" first, then
\n\"control\". This implies that alcoholic beverages are forbidden in
\nIndonesia, except in strictly controlled places.<\/p>\n
Therefore, a decree to ban alcoholic beverages in Indonesia
\nand forbid Indonesians from drinking alcohol, in my opinion, is
\nthe only solution. Otherwise, we won't be able to rescue our
\ncommunity from that satanic drink.<\/p>\n
Q: What about the impact of the banning of alcoholic beverages
\non the producers and the distributors in Indonesia?<\/p>\n
A: That won't be a problem. They can easily change their
\nbusinesses. For example, by producing more healthy and halal
\nbeverages such as soft drinks or mineral water. Or, if they want,
\nthey can produce medicine. (swa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/serve-alcoholic-drinks-to-foreigners-only-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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