Now it’s netball – what next?

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ALTHOUGH the PAS-led Kelantan government’s move to ban male spectators from a state-organised netball tournament next month has been roundly condemned, it is not a new manoeuvre to advance the party’s political agenda and ideology.

Since taking control of Kelantan in 1990, the party has been cranking up a record of disregarding citizen rights issues and one good example of this is imposing rules to gender-split the people in the state.

The hair salon bummer, imposed after the 1990 elections, is not the only gender segregation row to have emerged in Kelantan as supermarkets there are known to have separate counters for men and women as well.

In 1995, the Kelantan government passed a ruling prohibiting men and women from sitting next to each other in the  cinemas where the lights must also be switched on during screenings.

Nightclubs, discotheques, pubs and pop concerts are banned in Kelantan. In 2003, an Indonesian concert, featuring artistes such as Hetty Koes Endang and Dian Pieshasha, was clipped because women dancing and singing on stage impinge on the state’s entertainment laws.

In 2006, the Kelantan government made a half-turn by allowing dance clubs but with strictly no liquor, male and female patrons to be segregated and women properly attired.

Further restrictions imposed cover, among others, selling lottery tickets, celebrating Valentine’s Day (labelled as immoral) and separating men and women (even husbands and wives) in public places.

Of late, the Kelantan government reportedly decided to spread its arbitrary behavioural code to the sports arena by banning male spectators from the aforesaid netball tournament. Male paramedics, doctors and security personnel are apparently also declared persona non grata.

Furthermore, the ruling requires all the competition officials to be women and the participants to be above 18 years old and wear long-sleeved T-shirts and loose-fitting track pants while matches will be played indoors.

The public have decried the potential damage the ruling can do to the image of the country – in terms of fuelling extremism and becoming the butt of a big joke.

MPs from Sarawak and Sabah are flabergasted.

Santubong MP Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said he “could not understand the need for gender segregation in a sporting event.”

“I’m from Sarawak. We have a different attitude towards things there. I don’t understand all this. What else are we going to segregate – shops, buses, railways, towns and islands? There is no end. Integration is happening everywhere and yet, we are not moving forward.”

He pointed out that fostering better religious values and understanding should be given priority instead of promoting “physical and ritual practices.”

“There should be more focus on avoiding drugs, HIV, AIDS, smuggling and crime. Show good examples, accept and practise good universal values. People will then respect Islam more,” the Deputy Home Minister added.

Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said PAS should understand sports is a unifying force that brings the people together.

“We Malaysians like to bicker over just about anything but we all unite for sports. For instance, Kelantanese unite to cheer their football team. I hope PAS will consider this salient point making the final decision (to ban male spectators).”

The Centre For A Better Tomorrow, an NGO championing moderation, described the ruling as regressive and would breed extremism and intolerance.

“Gender discrimination will hamper efforts to promote sports as a healthy activity. During the Islamic Solidarity Games, open only to member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, held in Palembang, Indonesia, last year, no such rule was enforced.

“Qatar, which will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, also has no plans to put in place similar rules. If Kelantan does not rescind the order, Malaysia risks becoming an international laughing stock,” it pointed out.

Generally, the organisers fix the rules but banning male spectators from a sports event – such as the netball tournament in this instance – is over the top.

What it means, if the ruling is enforced, is that fathers/brothers can no longer be present to support their daughters/sisters who are playing. From a family standpoint, this is not right.

For now it’s netball. What next? Kelantan women can no longer watch football matches played by men? No women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles in badminton?

Politicians from both sides of the aisle who profess to be fair-minded, unbiased and guided by scruples in their decision-making, should strenuously defend the fundamental rights of all citizens as guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.

Indeed, gender discrimination in sports has no place in the country.