Remember what political operative Mukhriz Mahathir (photo) regretted and admitted to stirring up racial and religious issues and demonising the DAP. 

He also touched on the issue of Bersatu’s religious credibility and the tensions that arise when a monolithic state religion determines racial and religious attitudes of the majority, saying: "We are talking about the fight against corruption, alleviating poverty – how is that not Islamic? Are you telling me this is not what the Malays want?” 

But the fact remains that the race-based parties have an abysmal track record in fighting corruption and advocating for good governance and Pejuang especially is now discovering that it really has no Malay/Muslim base. So what do they do, they revert to the old Umno playbook that Mukhriz regrets - or he says – playing from.

Jaya Grocer was understandably spooked by the “protest” of this state assemblyperson but what makes it more insidious, is that Shaid claimed that any objection was the sale of alcoholic beverages and not about “non-halal” products.

When something is deemed “haram” on religious grounds, any discussion of such an item becomes moot. Ab initio a discussion cannot take place because the item is already considered “haram” by certain folks. Hence, any objective discussion is supplanted by religious discourse and those objecting to religious interference. 

So, any distinction between what is acceptable “non-halal” products are based on the whims of religious and political operatives and the power they exert over the economic and social fabric of the communities they represent.

Shaid makes this distinction because he knows that there are non-Malay/Muslims who would stupidly agree most often working under religious imperatives of their own, that the sale of alcoholic beverages should be reduced or banned outright. In this way, non-Malays/Muslims become complicit in the shrinking of our public and personal spaces.

Keep this in mind, what this Jeram assemblyperson managed to do, was what the vigilantes (above) of Gugusan Manjoi in Ipoh failed to carry out, that is to restrict the sale of alcohol in what they considered Malay areas.

The Kedah MB knew exactly what he was doing when he implied that the political operatives were drunk on the toddy of popularity. What this plays into is the stereotype that Chinese businesspeople enable the alcohol excess of Indians by selling them alcohol. 

It is an old trope but one that is particularly attractive especially to non-Malay converts to the religion of the state, but more importantly a dog whistle that non-Malays are ganging up on a Malay menteri besar.

Of course, I doubt the IGP will take any action against these people. I suppose like me he is wondering why the subject of alcohol seems so intoxicating to these political operatives.