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Malay Mail Online
Lawyers and NGOs slam couple seat ruling
IPOH, July 26 — The Perak Tengah district council has been criticised by lawyers and NGOs for reportedly issuing a notice banning Muslim men and women with no legal or family ties from sitting in a local cinema’s couple-seats.
Lawyer Datuk Naran Singh said there was nothing in the Local Government Act 1976 nor the Penal Code that prohibited unmarried Muslim couples from sitting in a cinema’s couple seats.
“They can advise but it is up to the individual to comply.
“But it is not an offence for a couple to be sitting in a cinema nor is there is any law giving the councils power to draw up by-laws against conduct that might be offensive religiously,” he said, when contacted yesterday.
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Fellow legal practitioner M. Kulasegaran agreed, saying the council was usurping the power of other agencies, and was acting contrary to the spirit of the Local Government Act.
“Councils should act according to ratepayers’ best interests, but how does this action do so?
“Regardless if there is a law or not, local authorities are overlooking the fact moral policing is none of their business.
“If they really want to do so, they should carry out a referendum to gauge public opinion,” he said.
Ipoh Ratepayers and Taxpayers Association deputy president Victor Sankey said the action was absurd, calling upon local authorities to focus their efforts on serving taxpayers instead.
“Local authorities should not be imposing moral behaviour.
“Instead of wasting time on unnecessary pursuits, they should concentrate on their basic duties — keeping the area clean and maintaining public amenities,” he said.
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Exo Des Exo Des retweeted Astro AWANI
MARI BOIKOT LOTUS FIVE STAR! #inb4 wtf is that cause it’s one obscure cinema
Exo Des added,
— Free Malaysia Today
Unmarried? No ‘couple seats’ for you then…
Lotus Five Star Cinema bars unmarried Muslims couples from cozying up together in their special “couple seats”
… SERI ISKANDAR: Couple seats that allow two people to cosy up together as they take in a movie has been reserved especially for married couples, leaving those on dates with their partners to sit elsewhere but only if they’re Muslims. According to a report on Astro Awani, Lotus Five Star Cinemas (LFS) has displayed the clause prominently so Muslim moviegoers are warned upfront of the dos and don’ts. The display reads: “Harap Maklum. Pasangan yang bukan mahram TIDAK DIBENARKAN untuk duduk di “Couple Seat”. Translated, the message reads: “Please note. Unwed couples ARE NOT ALLOWED to occupy the “Couple Seat”. Mahram, also pronounced muhrim in Malay, is a concept in Syariah law that refers to unmarriageable kin, such as blood relatives. The theatre has 12 couple seats and seven theatre halls. The rule has been in effect for two years already and takes heed of the “advice” offered by the Perak Tengah district council to curb immoral acts among young adults. Some married couples that the news portal spoke to welcomed the move while understandably many young people, were opposed to it. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/07/21/unmarried-no-couple-seats-for-you-then/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter — Malaysian Insider
No loveseat before marriage, says cinema
Muslim couples wishing to purchase a couple seat are required to produce their marriage card at the Lotus Five Star (LFS) cinema in Bandar Seri Iskandar in Perak. LFS Seri Iskandar cinema assistant Siti Hana Yusof said the requirement had been in place since the cinema opened last November. “It applies only to couples who are Muslim or when one of the pair is Muslim,” she said today. She said there had been no complaints about the rule although some customers had expressed shock. “Many are usually surprised but if they are Muslim and not married, they would usually just purchase tickets for the regular seats.” While the marital status of the walk ins are checked, those who purchase couple seats online are not. Nor are they stopped from entering the screening hall after they had collected their tickets at the counter.
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