Beer Fest rejection implies values of one community superior to rest: Cenbet

PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur City Hall's (DBKL) decision to deny organisers a permit to hold the "Better Beer Festival 2017" gives the perception that the values of one community are superior to the rest, said the Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet).

Cenbet Board of Governor Member, Datuk Simon Lim Seng Chai, said it might lead to state encroachment into more areas of personal life.

"It is a slippery slope when 'political sensitivities' is cited for banning perfectly legal activities," he said in a statement issued today.
"In fact, this would have been the sixth year the event is held, had DBKL not denied the permit.

"By pulling the plug on the event, there are fears that DBKL and other government agencies may extend the same fervour into other areas, such as licensing for eateries in malls or dress codes in public areas.

"But even without descending into such extremes, DBKL's decision on the Better Beer Festival 2017 only deepens the yawning divide among the different communities here. The decision enhances the perception that the values of one community are superior to the rest. This does not augur well for a plural society where the Federal Constitution guarantees the rights of all."

Cenbet said it believes in moderation, which is built on mutual respect and mutual understanding. When state intervention results in some communities feeling aggrieved while others feeling triumphant, society becomes more divided and extremism starts to grow, Lim said.

"In this respect, we call on the DBKL to rescind its decision and grant the permit for the event to go on, so long as it fulfils all legal conditions. The DBKL is not set up as a moral guardian. It must remember that its area of jurisdiction, Kuala Lumpur, is a cosmopolitan city consisting of not just locals of different races but a sizable expatriate community and tourists, who come from diverse backgrounds."

Lim added that once political parties and civil authorities start acting like moral police, Malaysia will be poorer.

"Diversity and tolerance are our strengths. Don't let narrow-mindedness and intolerance destroy that," he said.