Better the devil you know …

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UPDATE: MALAYSIA

Retract fine on non-Muslim woman who wore shorts, Nga tells Kota Baru council

Shopkeeper has right to dress how she wants on her own premises, minister tells municipal authorities

Updated 14 minutes ago · Published on 27 Jun 2023 12:23PM

Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming says he has asked the Kota Baru Municipal Council not to ‘misuse’ its authority and to abide by the federal constitution as Malaysia is a multiracial country. – SYEDA IMRAN/The Vibes pic, June 27, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR – The Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) should retract the compound issued to a non-Muslim woman for wearing shorts on her own business premises, Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming said.

New Straits Times reported him as saying that he has asked the council not to “misuse” its authority and to abide by the federal constitution as Malaysia is a multiracial country.

“This is a non-Muslim shopkeeper on her own premises so it is her right to wear how she wants,” NST reported Nga as saying after an event in Cyberjaya today.

He said besides asking MPKB to retract the fine imposed on the woman, he also told Kelantan’s PAS-led state government to do so.

“This issue has caused a stir among the non-Muslim community,” Nga added.

On Twitter, Nga also expressed his disagreement with the compound, tweeting a Sin Chew Daily article of an interview in which he said MPKB had abused its power.

Yesterday, MPKB president Rosnazli Amin confirmed to NST that the council had issued the compound to the woman on June 25 during a check on business premises, as she was found to be wearing shorts.

She was issued the fine as this was deemed to be an offence under local council by-laws on indecent clothing in public places.

The matter came to light when photos of the compound were circulated on social media, sparking criticism from some social media users, as PAS-led Kelantan has always maintained that its shariah-inspired by-laws would not affect non-Muslims. – The Vibes, June 27, 2023

Better the devil you know …

KUALA LUMPUR, June 26, 2023: Taliban-rule is not only in Malaysia’s corridor but is already in certain states like the PAS-ruled Kelantan.

The PAS religious bigots and its government just do not understand that they cannot impose Islamic laws on non-Muslims because they do not recognise nor respect the country’s Constitution of freedom of religion and speech.

In short, PAS is intolerant and infringes on the rights and freedom of non-Muslims - just like the violent and obnoxious Talibans.

Law-abiding Malaysians who value their freedom, peace and harmony will do well to make their choice in future state and general elections.

To many, they opine that governments from both sides of the divide are the same, and thus refrain from casting their ballots or “not waste time”. That is a folly because, at the end of it, you will still have to live with the government of the day.

Thus the idiom: “Better the devil you know or better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.”

No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report of a businesswoman who was slapped with a compound and fine for wearing a pair of shorts in Kelantan:

Non-Muslim business owner fined for wearing shorts in Kelantan

The Kota Baru Municipal Council says the 35-year-old woman committed an offence under the Business and Industrial Trade By-Laws 2019.

FMT Reporters - 26 Jun 2023, 1:02pm

The woman holding the compound notice after she was caught wearing shorts in her shop. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: A non-Muslim woman in Kelantan was issued a compound notice yesterday for wearing “indecent clothing”.

The Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) said the notice was issued to the 35-year-old business owner during a spot check by its enforcement officers at her shop, New Straits Times reported.

“The non-Muslim (business) owner was found to have been wearing shorts at a public place and, for that, she was slapped with the compound notice,” MPKB president Rosnazli Amin was quoted as saying.

Rosnazli said the woman committed an offence under 34(2)(b) of the Business and Industrial Trade By-Laws 2019, which states that non-Muslim business owners and their non-Muslim employees must wear “decent clothes”.

According to the compound notice, which has been circulated on social media, the woman has seven days to settle the amount or face legal action.