Kelantan MCA mocks state to shut ATMs too during prayers

Yes Yes Hooray MCA at last found their balls or are these only temporary rented balls which will disappear when PAS whack back at MCA

Kelantan MCA mocks state to shut ATMs too during prayers

The Kelantan MCA secretary Lua Choon Hann questions whether the ruling only targeted night market traders as they are easy targets

KUALA LUMPUR: Disturbed by the Kelantan government’s plan to enforce a ruling compelling all night market traders to close shop during maghrib prayer, the state MCA questioned as to why the decree stopped at petty traders.

The decision to halt businesses for around 10 minutes during prayers also affected the non-Muslim traders, and will inflict losses to the traders, said the state MCA.

MCA Kelantan state liaison committee secretary Lua Choon Hann questioned whether the ruling only affected the night market traders as they are easy targets.

“If the Kelantan state government wants all business operations to come to a grinding halt, then it must instruct banks to programme their ATMs to shutdown during magrib prayers as well.

“Likewise, for any large scale corporations involved in business discussions in the evening to night time, using the same logic, the Kelantan government should force them to switch off their electricity and cease all meetings,” Lua said in a statement today.

The MCA strategic planning and research committee deputy chairman also questioned whether the state government will allow international trades like money market, global bourses and also the foreign exchange (forex) market to continue with their businesses during maghrib prayers.

“Ten minutes can make a difference for huge profits or losses in international trade and currency exchange.

“For diners in a restaurant or kopitiams, are they to completely stop eating and the chefs to cease cuisine preparations during prayer times?”

Lua slammed the PAS-led state government over its decision, claiming that the decision “does not take into account, long term detriment to the local economy, people’s livelihoods, much less erosion of non-Muslim rights.”

He said that the state government would be better off reviving the economy of the people and promote local products rather than restricting and stifling businesses.

Yesterday state Local Government, Housing and Sports Committee chairman Abdul Fattah Mahmood said that all local authorities will be enforcing the ruling which had been in place for 10 years now.

He also warned that those who failed to comply risked having their licence suspended.

Abdul Fattah was reported as saying that the entrance to the night market would be closed five minutes before prayers and reopened shortly after the prayers ended.