Malaysian nightspots open for business at Ramadhan

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur

Just minutes after my arrival at Kuala Lumpur (KL), I was surprised to hear a tour guide announcing that tourists could still experience glittering nightlife during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

That was beyond my expectations as I had assumed that the authorities would limit the operation of entertainment centers, as the Jakarta administration had done.

As far as I was aware, Malaysia is a country with a Muslim majority, just like Indonesia. Being skeptical about the announcement, I decided to find out for myself.

The reality surprised me even more as I walked along Jl. Bukit Bintang, which offered numerous festivities. Visitors packed shopping malls and cafes there. Surprisingly, nightspots remained open and were busy serving visitors.

You can easily find various entertainment, including bars, game centers, discos and live music or karaoke lounges, complete with charming hostesses.

Nightspots were also found, among other venues, on Jl. Ampang, Jl. Tun Razak, Jl. Sultan Ismail and in the Bangsar Baru area.

According to Miriam, a waiter at a club on Jl. Bukit Bintang, nightspots opened as usual just as in the months other than Ramadhan.

"The municipality has not imposed any rules to limit our operations," she told The Jakarta Post, adding that there was no difference, given the number of guests.

The club where Miriam works offered live music. Visitors, mostly foreigners, came to relax, chat and sip drinks, said Miriam.

A visitor, Valery Kok, said that she went to the club simply to spend some spare time there with friends.

"We don't ask our Muslim friends to come with us to nightclubs during Ramadhan because we respect them," she said.

Nightspots here open at 7 p.m, and are allowed to stay open until 3 a.m. They also provide alcohol.

With about 1.5 million residents, KL currently has about 450 nightspots around the city, according to spokesman of the municipality Sarifuddin Ibrahim.

"The authorities respect Ramadhan, of course. However, they consider other parties' interests as well," he told the Post.

Sarifuddin explained that KL is also home to other residents who are not Muslim as it is a melting pot of various ethnic groups, including Malays, Chinese, Indians and Arabs.

He said that Muslims there usually avoided the bright lights, although they were allowed to visit such places.

Meanwhile, a cleric of one of the largest mosques in KL criticized the rule that let nightspots run their business as usual during Ramadhan.

"The government should, at least, limit the operation of nightclubs during the holy month. Muslims here actually disagree with the rule," said the cleric, who asked not to be named.

Although they did not agree, even the hard-line groups had not disrupted the operation of nightspots during Ramadhan.

"Attacking other parties is not allowed in Islam. If we oppose a rule, we can file a complaint to the government. As residents, we should obey the rules."

Separately, Rachman, a local Muslim, said that while most Muslims opposed the rule, they respected the authority's decision.

"It's not a problem, as we Muslims don't visit nightspots during Ramadhan. We understand that they (who make a living from entertainment businesses) also have to survive," he said, adding that he and his Muslim friends rarely visited nightspots, even during the rest of the year.

No conflicts have been reported due to the operation of nightspots. Muslims were still able to experience the holy month in peace.

That is rather different from Ramadhan in Jakarta, where certain nightspots like discotheques were not allowed to open, while the opening hours of some other places were limited and the sale of alcohol banned. It was also marked by violence, as a hard-line group attacked some night spots that, it claimed, had violated the rule.

The writer was a participant in a media tour sponsored by the Jakarta administration to observe the nightlife and other aspects of urban life in KL.