Alcohol ban: Stop trying to be jaguh

[pywong]

Stop trying to be heroes. Just shut up and resolve this issue quietly. If PAS is a minority party in Selangor, this motion on alcohol ban won't go through. Every time some small fry tries something funny, DAP will run around like wild ants whose nest has been disturbed.

Grow up and drop your opposition mindset. You are supposed to follow Anwar towards taking over the Federal Government. So start behaving like a Government-in-waiting.

We did not elect you to be in opposition only. We elected you to take over the government!

Alcohol ban: Trouble brewing in Pakatan
Nov 26, 08 1:43pm

Trouble appears to be brewing in the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat over the move by the Islamic-based PAS to push for an alcohol ban in Selangor.
MCPX

In the wake of reports that Selangor PAS intended to impose a ban on the sale of alcohol at 7-11 outlets, mini-markets and coffee shops, a DAP parliamentarian warned that it could lead to fissures in the alliance.

http://malaysiakini.com/news/93769

[pywong]

I don't see what's the problem with the restrictions below. As a parent, I wouldn't want liquor to be easily available to our kids.

MB: No ban on alcohol in S'gor
S Pathmawathy & Jimadie Shah Othman | Nov 26, 08 3:12pm

Selangor Mentri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the state does not intend to impose a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol but is seeking to step up enforcement on existing restrictions.
MCPX

The existing restrictions in the state are no sale of alcohol to Muslims as well as those under-18s.

According to Khalid, the move to tighten enforcement on alcohol sale will be implemented after consultation with retailers, local councils, related government agencies and NGOs early next year.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/93776

[Bob K]

My few cents on this matter :


The Alcohol Row - Adventures In Missing The Point
originally posted in bobjots : redux (http://www.bobjots.org/2008/11/the-alcohol-row-adventures-in-missing-the-poin/)

Once again a Pakatan ruled state is in the limelight for the wrong reasons. This time the focus is on a row (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/13237-dap-pas-in-booze-sale-row) that has erupted between 2 component parties within Selangor's ruling coalition over a proposal by PAS to ban the sale of alcohol in the state. At least, that's how the media has generally portrayed it.

What I was eventually made to understand was that the proposal was to restrict the sale of alcohol beverages (ie. removing it from the shelves of sundry shops/grocers, and convenience stores) and improve the enforcement of the ban on alcohol sale to minors as well as Muslims.

To be honest, I was really irked by the way the whole affair has developed. Are we really that polarised that even a matter like this has to degenerate into an affair where lines are drawn between the different ethnic and creedal communities?

I am pretty much a believer in the creed of caveat emptor. We have allowed the state to "protect" us so much that it borders on the absurd. Imagine an MP getting a visit from a constituent seeking the former's help in counselling the latter's domestic worker because she tends to wake up late in the morning!?

Back to the alcohol issue - I believe the dangers of alcohol abuse is quite well documented. The social, health and economic costs of such abuse is evident in our society. So what ought to be addressed is, perhaps, not the sale of alcohol itself but the public health perspective of this matter. I am sure that even PAS and DAP can find common ground there and work on a joint proposal.

A lot that ought to be done to tackle this issue has not even been mentioned. Here are some possible pro-active and more positive approaches that perhaps can be considered:


Public Education Campaigns On Substance Abuse
Yep .. ethanol IS a form of narcotic. Incidentally, so is nicotine. As a smoker and an occasional imbiber of alcoholic beverages (mainly during Holy Communion nowadays .. haha) myself, I can attest to the fact that it is way easier and much more socially acceptable to drink in public than it is to smoke in public .. go figure.
Positive Campaigning To Encourage Responsible Alcohol Use
One model, albeit somewhat controversial, would be the one advocated by the organisation Choose Responsibility (http://www.chooseresponsibility.org/)
Formalised Training of Community Health Workers To Address The Issue of Substance Abuse
The state can organise formal vocational training for community workers and volunteers to engage these issues. Programmes and curriculums do exist (more on this below)
Encouraging The Establishment Of Alcohol Rehabilitation and Drug Detox Centres
The state and the private sector can cooperate in the establishment of more centres that provide alcohol rehab programmes (http://www.cliffsidemalibu.com/) to complement existing social services and help contribute to the local economy as well
Enforce Penalties Against Sellers Who Do Not Verify The Age Of Buyers
This really ought to go without saying and does not need any legislative changes. The laws on this already exist. Go enforce it already!


All of the measures above (I'm sure many others can think of more) would probably do much more in addressing the real problem that is alcohol abuse instead of criminalising and marginalising the victims. I doubt that removing alcohol from the shelves will work. It might even backfire and encourage criminal activity instead (does Al Capone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone) and the Prohibition era (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition_in_the_United_States) ring any bells?). The people who are proposing and opposing such measures should consider - are they really interested in helping deal with a social problem or do they just want to punish offenders (or on the flip side, let them get away scot free).

Vocational training programmes in social care and community services usually engages community health issues like mental health, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, child abuse etc. That is true both in the United Kingdom (http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk/QualificationSearchResults.aspx?Type=AdvancedQln&Keywords=social+care&QualificationType=NotSet&Page=1&PageSize=10) as well as Australia (do a search in the NTIS (http://www.ntis.gov.au/Default.aspx?find) database for syllabus and programme details) where our vocational training system is modelled after.

Maybe its time the Department of Skills Development (http://www.dsd.gov.my/bi/) (or the state counterpart if federal cooperation is not forthcoming) start including these sectors into the National Occupational Skills Standard (http://www.dsd.gov.my/bi//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=174) (the whole social services sector and many more are totally missing from our NOSS!?) and embark on a campaign to train civil society and NGO workers. This might even be a good opportunity to retrain workers in these sectors as more jobs get lost with the ongoing recession (substance abuse and economic hardship does have a verifiable co-relation).

Pakatan ruled states have a wonderful opportunity to model a different way of doing things right now! Get a few problems solved instead of creating new ones for crying out loud.

[pywong]

Bob, Good article. Send it to Tony Pua. He needs to read it.

[Bob K]

Hmm .. why not. I'm a voter in his constituency anyway.

.. and the deed is done (12:48, Thurs, 27 Oct 2008)

[rocky]

DAP needs to act in a cool manner and not react to every comments by small fries. Talk internally within PR and settle it.PAS should control al the small frys, so they don't issue statements like this. Talk internally and issue a PR statement. PR needs to sort out how they are going to work and work well.

[pywong]

DAP needs to act in a cool manner and not react to every comments by small fries. Talk internally within PR and settle it.PAS should control al the small frys, so they don't issue statements like this. Talk internally and issue a PR statement. PR needs to sort out how they are going to work and work well.

DAP should stop reacting to mainstream media reports. After 40 years, they still make the same mistakes.

Check it out internally first. Get the truth, then discuss and resolve the issues.

We want a 2-party system and if DAP cannot conform to our requirements then we have to kick them.

[rocky]

DAP needs to act in a cool manner and not react to every comments by small fries. Talk internally within PR and settle it.PAS should control al the small frys, so they don't issue statements like this. Talk internally and issue a PR statement. PR needs to sort out how they are going to work and work well.

DAP should stop reacting to mainstream media reports. After 40 years, they still make the same mistakes.

Check it out internally first. Get the truth, then discuss and resolve the issues.

We want a 2-party system and if DAP cannot conform to our requirements then we have to kick them.
Lets not whack DAP only. PAS and PKR have had their moments and are no angels.PAS has been around longer.PKR has the experience as well. all PR parties need to get their act together, what is the use of pointing finger!!!!

[Bob K]

Tony has replied but has asked me not to make the reply public. So looks like its a TT session if you guys wanna know ;)

[pywong]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp4sqz6MJIU&feature=email

[racheljansz]

Tony has replied but has asked me not to make the reply public. So looks like its a TT session if you guys wanna know ;)
So for those that unable to attend TT, what's the take on this?
What's DAP stand on Alcohol issue?
I don't know why are they unable to see an opportunity and grasp it to the Rakyat's advantage.

Bob, you are right about existing laws, but we all know the hardest part is the enforcement.
After all, this is bolehland!
There wont be any change until the head changes.

[Han2]

You're absolutely right in your assessment of the folks from DAP. They seem very jittery and
will always react without much thoughts and strategies and more often than not, they get caught
with their foot in the mouth.... it is so easy for the guys in BN to tease and trap them.

Having said that, I shall bring back the issue of that self-proclaimed Sassy MP who kena ISA-ed
etc... its like she is in the category the Malays call "menang sorak, kampong tergadai" type. I wish
someone would sit her down and tell her to grow up and wise up. She is only bringing herself to
be like Bung Mokhtar Radin type with all her unnecessary sorak.... :-[

Hey DAP, go for the big things lah... leave out the arguments on the multi-lingual roadsigns and
all the minor things...

Bill Clinton put it most sptly in 1992 when he campaigned against George Bush Sr.... "Its the
economy, stupid!"

[pywong]

Excellent article here. Tony should read it.

Tuesday, 25 November 2008
PAS, DAP and the alcohol controversy in Selangor

The Malaysian Insider reported that there is a row between PAS and DAP on booze sale in Selangor. Official Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PAS Deputy President Ustaz Nasharuddin Mat Isa were quoted in the article saying that alcohol selling shouldn't be promoted but non-Muslims shouldn't be denied its consumption. Ustaz Nasharuddin seemed to be less informed on what transpired in Selangor saying that PAS would wait for more details from Pas Selangor concerning the issue.

http://scandalasia.blogspot.com/2008/11/pas-dap-and-alcohol-controversy-in.html

[racheljansz]

Excellent article here. Tony should read it.

Tuesday, 25 November 2008
PAS, DAP and the alcohol controversy in Selangor

The Malaysian Insider reported that there is a row between PAS and DAP on booze sale in Selangor. Official Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PAS Deputy President Ustaz Nasharuddin Mat Isa were quoted in the article saying that alcohol selling shouldn't be promoted but non-Muslims shouldn't be denied its consumption. Ustaz Nasharuddin seemed to be less informed on what transpired in Selangor saying that PAS would wait for more details from Pas Selangor concerning the issue.

http://scandalasia.blogspot.com/2008/11/pas-dap-and-alcohol-controversy-in.html

High time DAP concentrate on the big picture and work for the Rakyat, not only for "luxuries" of non-Muslims!
DAP should also read this and not behave like the mention imans in the passage.
From the same blogspot http://scandalasia.blogspot.com/2008/11/turkey-bans-yoga-follows-malaysia.html
excerpt....
The young man narrated his ordeal. He said his sick mother who is in coma needs help. However, fellow Muslims who are obliged to help him have ignored him. He said the Imams don't tell fellow Muslims that they should care for one another. That the sick should be visited, that the wayfarer should be helped, that the poor should be attended to, that the meek should be lifted up. He said they talk about God's fear while not telling people the real Taqwa which is helping one another and attending to each other's needs and understanding the higher purpose of life.