Serve alcoholic drinks to foreigners only
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)