Muslim staff commit sin

KOTA KINABALU: PAS Sabah has found out that Muslim employees at some supermarkets and hypermarkets in Sabah have been managing the payment counters when customers paid for liquor.

Its Deputy Commissioner III, Hamid Ismail, pointed out that the workers’ act is a syariah offence in Sabah, and urged that appropriate action be taken by the State Government, particularly the relevant authorities such as the Sabah Islamic Affairs Department (JHEAINS).

He cited Section 57(2) of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1995 which states that “whoever makes, sells, presents, exhibits for sale, keeps or buys any liquor or intoxicating substance shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM3,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.”

“Muslim employees who work as cashiers at the payment counters when payment for liquor is made, come within the category of people who sell intoxicated drinks. Also, Muslim workers who arrange those liquor on the racks fall within the category of exhibiting the liquor for sale,” said Hamid in a statement yesterday.

Hamid, who is a practising lawyer, reckoned that to ensure this syariah offence does not happen again, supermarkets and hypermarkets selling intoxicating drinks or liquor must make available a special counter to pay for those drinks and managed by non-Muslim workers only.

He suggested that the duty to arrange liquor on the racks should also be handled by non-Muslim workers only.

“I urge the state government to take pro-active steps so that those Muslim workers will not continue to commit this criminal offence.

“Most importantly is to prevent them from committing sin against Allah in line with the Islamic teaching of ‘amar ma’ruf nahi mungkar’ (spread virtues, prevent evil).

“I hope the Sabah Islamic Affairs Department will also play their role in monitoring this matter,” Hamid added.