Serve alcoholic drinks to foreigners only

Protests against the imposition of a new tax on alcoholic drinks have been going on for weeks, forcing the government to review the regulation. The chairman of Indonesian Council of Ulemas, Hasan Basri, believes that alcoholic beverages should only be served to foreigners.

Question: What is your opinion about the regulation, now that several provinces have implemented it recently?

Answer: Let's start with the law on the alcoholic beverages first, because any regulation on them will be based on that. Islam has clearly mentioned in the Holy Koran that drinking khamer (alcohol) is contemptible and a satanic deed. We, therefore, are told to stay away from it.

Moreover, a hadith (saying of the Prophet) told by Abu Daud and Ibnu Majah from Ibnu Umar also reveals that God curses khamer and those who drink it, serve it, sell and buy it, produce it, keep it, store it, carry it and take it from anyone else. This shows that alcoholic beverages are so dangerous that everybody should be afraid of them. Most ulemas are afraid of it, especially in relation to God's curse.

Q: So, what do you expect the government will do about that?

A: As we have all seen in the second 25-year development plan, which began in 1994, the human resources factor is considered as the most important thing. We need good human resources, not alcoholic ones. That's the target. If the government is consistent with that, they won't devise such a regulation.

I have a suggestion. As this issue has become a national one, it would be better off if the regulation is raised to a national level, not regional like it is now. For example, in the form of a presidential decree which bans the distribution of any alcoholic beverages in Indonesia and forbids all Indonesians to drink them.

Q: Is it possible to ban alcoholic beverages altogether, while we are promoting tourism in Indonesia?

A: Of course there will be exceptions, just like any other regulations, especially for duty free stores and star-rated hotels, which are mainly visited by foreigners. Star-rated hotels, therefore, have to be designated as restricted areas for drinking alcoholic beverages. This should be strictly controlled by the authorities. Indonesians should not be allowed to come and drink in these areas.

By the way, I am not of those who believe that foreign tourists come to Indonesia to drink alcoholic beverages or look for prostitutes. They come to enjoy our beautiful country, our nature, our culture and our friendliness. Therefore, we can just say: "Don't come to Indonesia if you are looking for alcoholic beverages. We don't serve them."

Q: It's not an easy task ...

A: Malaysia, our neighbor, is very good at doing that. They have Genting Island designated for foreigners to gamble. Every foreigner is free to gamble there, but not Malaysians. Thus, Malaysia is successful in protecting the morality of its own people.

Q: Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie SM said the regulation is meant to control the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Indonesia, not to ban their consumption ...

A: There is a significant difference between the two terms (to control and to ban). What we need to do here is ban them, not just control their distribution. We have to put "ban" first, then "control". This implies that alcoholic beverages are forbidden in Indonesia, except in strictly controlled places.

Therefore, a decree to ban alcoholic beverages in Indonesia and forbid Indonesians from drinking alcohol, in my opinion, is the only solution. Otherwise, we won't be able to rescue our community from that satanic drink.

Q: What about the impact of the banning of alcoholic beverages on the producers and the distributors in Indonesia?

A: That won't be a problem. They can easily change their businesses. For example, by producing more healthy and halal beverages such as soft drinks or mineral water. Or, if they want, they can produce medicine. (swa)