The issue is not, and should not be, just about Islam forbidding the consumption of alcohol. As a devoted Buddhist and a parent of two children, I too am concerned about the problem of excessive/habitual consumption of alcohol and the issue of alcohol consumption amongst youths.

I'm not sure what other religions' view on alcohol is but I see this issue in Shah Alam not as a Muslims vs non-Muslims issues. I see it as an issue of those who are pro-alcohol restriction (on the basis of their religious views - not necessarily only Islam) vs those who are anti-alcohol restriction.

Let's look at the issue from a non-religious angle. Excessive, habitual and irresponsible consumption of alcohol is bad. We all know that. We've seen youths hanging out next to 7-Eleven, sipping their beer and acting cool, at 2am. We've seen car crashes at 3am, car (and occupants) damaged beyond repair.

We also know that smoking is bad. We take measures to deal with it. We impose high taxes on cigarettes (like most countries in the world), we forbid the sale of cigarettes to minors (already implemented in Malaysia for some time now), we print nasty pictures on cigarette packaging (by law), we forbid the sale of individual sticks, and we forbid cigarette advertising.

Similarly, alcohol also need to be restricted. We already impose high taxes on alcohol and we also control through licensing. Such taxes and restrictions exist in many parts of the world. Any responsible government should continue to look at ways to deal with the problem and that may include limiting the widespread availability of the product.

I see it as an issue between those who see the need for additional restrictions versus those who want to be able to, and want others to be able to, easily get their beer anywhere and at anytime of the day, or night.

Let's look at the issue from the political angle. Selangor PAS leader Dr Hasan Ali has made his views known. So has Selangor exco Ronnie Liu, Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Shah Alam City Council. Opposition leader Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and Selangor MCA have also made their views known (even louder). Khir Toyo and MCA are wrong in turning this into a racial issue.

There are people among the silent majority who are not Muslims but by virtue of their strong religious beliefs (in my case Buddhism), feels that something need to be done about problems in Malaysian society (not only alcohol consumption but also issues of excessive gambling, but that's another story for another day).

So I call upon Pakatan Rakyat leaders and administrators not to deal with this issue as a racial/religious issue. I particularly abhor the often-heard comments about the "rights of non-Muslims". I'm a non-Muslim but I'm not particularly keen on my "right" to buy beer at 7-Eleven at 2am. This is an issue about the rights of people with strong religious beliefs regardless of which religion he/she belongs to.

Let's look at the problem from the legal angle. The restriction on beer sales must be done according to rules and regulations. I do understand the need for "persuasion" as per the remark from Selangor PAS however, I think that actual enforcement must be on the basis of clear rules and regulation. Whether it was done so, is something that should be debated openly.

Finally, let's look at the problem from the business angle. I believe this is what's happening in the background. Business and politics is inadvertently linked. That happens everywhere, we just have to be mindful of it. If we go ahead and restrict the sale of beer in retail outlets, naturally there is a feeling that there will be loss of revenue for retail chains such as 7-Eleven which operate round-the-clock.

On the other hand, hypermarkets like Tesco and Giant will be happy that people may begin to "stock up" on beer at home in case they run out of their favourite Carlsberg at 2am while watching the Champions League final. The business lobby will work in the background to protect their respective interests.

That the MCA and Umno so promptly and so loudly went on the offensive on this issue is interesting to see. It is interesting to know which business interest they represent, if any, on this issue.