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DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has engaged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to address unease within the Chinese Malaysian community after the premier’s remarks in Parliament that alcohol should not be served in Chinese school halls.
DAP adviser and Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng said Loke is seeking a compromise that would allow the community to maintain its long-held customs and social practices.
“Anthony Loke understands the Chinese community’s concerns and has taken the initiative to speak with the prime minister to seek a compromise that allows the community to continue its traditions and customs,” Lim wrote in a Facebook post in Mandarin.
He noted that Anwar’s comments had “stirred a hornet’s nest”, reflecting the deep dissatisfaction among Chinese Malaysians who see the restrictions as interference in a decades-old social practice.
“Even during PAS-led administrations, such community activities in Chinese school halls were never interfered with, as mutual respect and harmony were maintained,” Lim added, questioning whether the restrictions could extend further. “After banning alcohol, will pork be next?”
The controversy follows Anwar’s statement in Parliament that school halls, even when rented by external parties, should not host activities involving alcohol or gambling, in order to preserve schools as places of learning.
He emphasised that the ban is not intended to infringe upon non-Muslim rights, but to uphold the universal values of education. - October 24, 2025