Non-Malays face bleak future in PAS-led states

By Wan Hamidi Hamid

The Chinese community in Kelantan and Terengganu makes up about 5 percent of the total population there. Under the rule of the fundamentalist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), they are experiencing the uncertainty of living in states where the economic prospects are bleak. The Straits Times visited both Opposition-run states recently to get a feel of the conditions there affecting non-Malays.

TERENGGANU, Malaysia: Last June, a 38-year-old woman who owns a unisex salon was among 30-odd operators of the business who were summoned for a meeting with the Terengganu state agency, seven months after fundamentalist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) took over the state.

At the meeting, the operators were told that unisex salons must go. The choice: Either a barber shop or a female- hairdressing salon.

Chiew (not her real name), who has been in her line of business for more than 10 years at a small, dusty shopping mall, Kompleks Perdana in Kuala Terengganu, said: "The state government people asked if we wanted to follow their directive. All of us said no."

She added: "Until today, there has been no action by them, but I believe they will enforce the ruling by next year.

"It will be difficult for me because 80 percent of my customers are male, including officers of some state government departments."

The meeting dashed Chiew's hope of ever expanding her business. Her fear is that she may even have to close down her salon.

Her fears are not unfounded. Last month, state executive councillor (exco) member Wan Muttalib Embong announced that unisex hair salons would be closed down and operators were given until the end of the year to set up a separate salon.

What happened in Kelantan about 10 years ago is repeating itself in Terengganu. Fundamentalist PAS is more concerned with its Islamic rhetoric than anything else.

Among the first moves announced were the proposed non-Muslim tax, called nci kharaj mtr (land tax), and closure of unisex hair salons as well as premises selling alcohol and gambling outlets, such as Toto and Magnum 4-Digit.

The non-Muslims, particularly the Chinese, are unhappy about the situation. But they are also afraid to voice their fears and anger openly.

While no specific reason was given for the closure of unisex salons, PAS diehards are keen to explain that it was not a discriminatory decision. The move was to ensure vice-free hair salons or barber shops, they claim.

"What vice dens? Look at our hair salons. We only wash and cut customers' hair," said a London-trained hairdresser who also declined to be named, claiming that exposing his identity could jeopardize his business.

But the proposed closure of unisex hair salons is not the only move affecting the non-Muslim community in the PAS-ruled states.

A Class A contractor (large-scale construction-projects contractor) claims business has been down by 60 percent since early this year because of the repercussions of fundamentalist Islamic rule.

"If the situation prevails, maybe I have to get out of the state and work somewhere else," he said.

But the state exco member in charge of development, Mustafa Ali, questioned the motive of Chinese businessmen in highlighting the problem.

"We canceled a couple of big projects to save money," he said. "We don't need the state stadium and the state mosque.

"Is it because contractors didn't get the project that they are making noise now?

"We did not stop other projects that had been approved by the previous state government. Many are under way. I do not understand why people are complaining."

Terengganu's growth rate is expected to reach 5.3 percent this year, up from 4 percent last year. Projects are on-going but concentrated in the south, particularly in Dungun and Kemaman, the oil and gas centre of the country.

The state also receives RM810 million (S$368 million) in petroleum royalty this year, and the payment is expected to reach RM1 billion next year.

However, state MCA chief Datuk Lau Yin Ping said the PAS state government is more concerned with petty issues than developing the state for the people's benefits.

"This government does not seem to know how to generate growth." he said. "If they keep canceling development projects, the people will suffer.

"There is no economic master plan and there is no indication of a viable economic policy."

Whatever the arguments may be, the conservative Islamic party is focused on its plan to "Islamicise" the state.

As one government officer puts it: "More than 95 percent of the population are Muslims. These are the people that we will focus on.

"We are not being discriminatory but Islam must be upheld seriously. For us, Islam is the best solution for all the problems.

"One day, the non-Muslims will understand that."

Tan Ken Ten has two words to describe the economy of Kelantan -- stale and stagnant.

"If nothing is done immediately, the prospect of economic growth in Kelantan will be as good as dead," commented the state's Chinese Chambers of Commerce secretary.

The east coast state has always been the country's most backward state. Its gross domestic product per capita is the country's lowest at RM4,300 -- a third of the national average. Its most famous export -- labor.

In 1998, Kelantan suffered a contraction of 5.1 percent but enjoyed a growth of 3.3 percent last year. The state government forecasts a growth of between 3 percent and 5 percent this year.

After a decade of PAS rule, much remains the same. The skyline has only been altered by the addition of several new buildings.

The best and the brightest continue to flock to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Penang.

Tan and other Chinese parents -- who constitute 5 percent of the 1.4 million population -- say they will not block their children from leaving the state.

One of the main problems is the question of Malay reserve land. Chinese businessmen have asked Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat to tweak the law and allow them to develop the reserve land.

But the plea has not had a single favorable response in 10 years. As a result, investors are going to Kedah and other states, taking with them their job-creating abilities.

But the charismatic Mentri Besar says that he never promised an economic miracle for Kelantan. Instead, he wanted to teach basic Islamic principles and put in place an administration based on religious ideals.

This he has done by banning the sale of alcohol in hotels and the segregation of men and women in public places such as supermarkets and cinemas.

His policies and philosophy have won favor with many Malay Kelantanese, who show an astonishing depth of Islamic fervor. But the non-Malays view these policies and the limp economy with an air of resignation.

Said the owner of an electrical shop: "We will make do with whatever we have. Business is slow but not many of us can afford to leave the state. We have families here."

Commented C.K. Liew, an optical shop owner, pointing to the stock-market column in the business page of a newspaper: "Some traders and retailers try to find other means to support their income."

One suspects that the loose manner in which the government enforces its myriad of Islamic laws also gives non-Muslims more reason to stay.

For example, in theory, men and women have to line up at separate counters when paying for purchases at supermarkets. But a visit to the Pantai Timur Supermarket showed that no one was following the rule.

Unisex salons have officially ceased to exist but the authorities have not shut them down. A sprinkling of salons still operate deep in the heart of town. Much of the resignation shown by the Chinese and Indians may also reside in this simple fact: The PAS government is difficult to dislodge.

The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has tried unsuccessfully to defeat PAS thrice. UMNO politicians concede that wresting control of the state will be difficult as long as Datuk Nik Aziz is alive.

His pull has nothing to do with sound economic management or friendly policies towards non-Muslims.

It is Datuk Nik Aziz's reputation for clean living that makes him a winner. Aware of his pull and PAS' likely staying power in Kelantan for the foreseeable future, non-Malays believe that their best hope for economic prosperity lies in the magnanimous intervention by the Federal government.

Chinese Chambers of Commerce secretary Tan Ken Tan said: "The Federal government must step in now. Kelantan needs infrastructure projects immediately."

"If not, we will forever be bypassed by investors -- both local and foreign companies," he pointed out.

-- The Straits Times / Asia News Network