I apologize for my fellow Muslim. Datuk Dr Hassan Ali had this to say on the banning of the sale of beer in Muslim-majority areas of Selangor:
"Our aim is to curb the consumption of beer among Muslims as we have been informed that drinking among schoolchildren and undergraduates is getting out of hand.Lets talk about Economics 101.
There is this well-discussed principle, called "supply and demand". Perhaps the good Dr Hassan was absent the day this class was taught.
We find beer on the shelves of stores (supply) because people want to buy it (demand). If no one wanted to buy beer (everyone in Selangor was a superb Muslim), then stores, being profit oriented, would devote that valuable shelf space to something else that can sell. Perhaps some nice little prayer beads, for example.
Obviously, Muslims in Muslim-majority areas of Selangor have a problem if they are drinking beer. Alcohol consumption is a big no-no. Worse still if those Muslims are schoolchildren.
That is the real problem you need to solve, Dr Hassan. The sale of beer in shops is NOT the problem. Why are Muslims turning to alcohol? What are you doing to educate them that alcohol is bad? Why are children drinking? What's wrong with the Muslim parents in the area? Are they beer guzzling raging alcoholics too? What can be done to reverse the rot?
Cutting off the supply of beer does NOT solve the problem. Muslims just take a 10 minute drive to PJ and get their fix there. In fact, cutting off the supply of alcohol across the whole nation will not solve the problem (see the Prohibition).
Dr Hassan is doing what all politicians do. He is grabbing the limelight. The Hero of Muslims, fighting against the sin of beer, throwing himself into deadly battle against the might of Ronnie Liu and the Unbelievers. While this may get him the votes (it must be sinful to vote against the Hero of Muslims, right?), its not doing anything to solve the root problem -- why are Muslims behaving poorly and drinking booze?
