WHAT on earth has got into Zaid Ibrahim’s mind? Urging the
government to give casino to the Malay Muslims? Or to the non-Muslim Malays
like Lina Joy and other bunch of murtads? I’m sure Zaid is being sarcastic
about opening gambling licences for Malay Muslims, but in case he’s not, I
won’t be surprised he’ll be one of the first to grab it.
Look at what he said in his blog. The Genting Group is investing heavily again
in its homeland Malaysia. The corporation announced a RM7 billion expansion
plan that will include theme parks, 6-star resorts and villas. The Prime
Minister himself was at the launch. I am happy that Genting is at last
ploughing back some of the obscene profits it has raked in over the years and
that it is back in Malaysia after many years of investing heavily overseas.
After its foray into Australia, the US and lately Singapore, it’s about time we
see some local re-investment.
Still, the success of Genting makes me want to cry. Many
years ago I had advocated a fairer gaming policy in the country in the belief
that the Malays should be allowed to participate in this lucrative industry. I
objected strongly to the gaming monopoly, the likes of which you won’t find
anywhere else in the world. It’s a ruse to enrich cronies, nothing more. If
Islam were the real reason for disallowing the Malays from taking part, then
there should be an outright ban.
When the Government scrapped the Social Welfare Lottery, I
told the Finance Minister at the time that it was a mistake to privatise the
lottery. Other countries used the proceeds for public use and public projects,
so why shouldn’t we? At that time the Government used the lottery’s proceeds to
help the poor, repair dilapidated homes, etc. Now it’s the tycoons who make
money from the business but they give only to selected charities helmed by
selected personalities.
I told whoever was prepared to listen that the monopoly over
the multibillion ringgit gaming industry was in the hands of a few non-Malay
tycoons, so why not keep the social welfare lottery for the rakyat? I was told
the Government could not engage in such sinful business. In the Dewan Rakyat I
raised the matter again. If indeed gaming was such a big sin then permitting
non-Muslim tycoons to monopolise the business would surely double the original
sin. The act of issuing the licence must be a sin as well, and since the Malays
now got nothing and the public received little by way of charity from these
tycoons, then God would punish these leaders with more severity. God knows who
the hypocrites are.
Is the Najib administration less hypocritical and more
willing to empower the Malays? The gaming industry coupled with the
entertainment industry has an annual turnover in excess of RM3 billion. That’s
not taking into account the gaming business that exists online and underground.
Why should the Government deny the Malays such an opportunity if they are
prepared to bear the sin themselves? These Malay entrepreneurs could also
donate handsomely and may even do more to help the economic life of the Muslim
community.
Now there is talk we are going to have a second casino in
Iskandar. If the PM is disposed to having another casino, I hope he will offer
the Malays this opportunity to make some easy money. Iskandar business model of high end property development, high
technology companies may not be suitable for the Malays; they have small
capital and their skills are limited, thanks to our education system. Its time
the government give back to the Malays
something tangible in Iskandar. Give them a casino.
The NEP promised us all that race/ethnicity would no longer
be synonymous with specific occupations and business identifications. We were
also instructed to stop thinking of the Chinese as the towkay and the Malays as
workers. This is something I have always agreed with wholeheartedly. However,
Malay hypocrites decided to curb the Malays by limiting the businesses they
could participate in. In the name of religion, they are stopped from engaging
in business that is deemed to be even remotely sinful. If I apply for a
transport licence to carry crates of beer for Carlsberg, chances are it will
not be approved. If I want to open a fully licensed restaurant, that too will
likely not be approved because I am a Muslim. The policy is to prohibit Muslims
from selling liquor, yet it is these same Muslim policymakers who are drinking
in London, Vegas and elsewhere.
Gaming and entertainment licences are given out to friendly
parties or cronies, who in turn use the huge profits from these activities to
buy up properties to built resorts here, in Singapore and elsewhere. The
cronies also buy football clubs and promote Malaysia to appease the
unsuspecting Malays. The Malays ultimately find themselves unable to afford
properties in the city, never realising the connection between gaming money and
skyrocketing properties prices.
The PM talks of economic liberalisation but we cannot just
look at the ways we can open up the country to foreigners. Liberalisation
should not just benefit them. The PM must look at his people, the Malays. Why
are they being discriminated against by their own leaders, who take such
lucrative business opportunities away from them? It’s unnecessary for the
Government to make things difficult for Malay business people by insisting that
they only participate in halal ventures.
It does not mean that all halal business is sanctioned by
God. If I were a JAKIM top dog and ruled that all imported turkeys must be
certified halal, only to make sure my company would be the sole bearer of this
Halal certificate, do you think this halal business would be sanctioned by
Allah? Allah is all knowing. Businesses are
not halal by certificate alone; if by
conduct they cause hardships to
the public; or the policy makers enriched
themselves using religious
rules; or resort to cheating people,
then its not halal. We must be concerned with having halal values, not with
halal business label. Heaven is only for those who live by halal conduct, not
for those who have halal labels on their business premises.
Anyway if there are Malays who are keen to lobby for the
second Casino licence please do not be embarrassed or shy. – Zaid Ibrahim
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