The operator of the outlet in Larkin Perdana Park had reportedly claimed that the reason for the policy was that the attendants there were able to speak only in Malay.
The controversy of the policy comes in the wake of two laundry operators in Johor and Perlis that had imposed a Muslim-only policy before they were rebuked by the royalty in both states over the past two months.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) chief secretary Saifuddin Abdullah said enforcing measures to segregate people based on language and ethnicity would only serve to widen the gap between the various races.
“Recently there have been many concerns about tolerance among the races due to the issues that have cropped up in the country,” he said.
“It is better that the thinking, as shown in the policy imposed by the Japanese store in Johor Bahru, be curbed before things become more serious,” he added.
The issue came to light when a 48-year-old man’s complaint about being barred from entering the shop by the staff there was reported by China Press.
The shop’s management was apparently diverting Chinese customers to other outlets.
It reported that a sign in Chinese had been put up at the premise that read: “Chinese customers are welcome to get a (shop) location for Chinese people from the store manager and visit that site.”
It added that the manager there insisted that the shop did not discriminate against non-Malays, as there were outlets in Johor and other states that were specifically meant for the Chinese community.
DAP’s Zaid Ibrahim criticised the rule, saying that the local authorities should take action against the operator.
“This is ridiculous. How can this be? I hope the local authorities do something about this,” the former law minister told FMT.
He said there should be a law to disallow people who want to run businesses from enforcing such prejudice-based policies.
“If you want to run a business, you need a licence. Set the rule there. Don’t allow discrimination,’ Zaid said, adding that “this kind of a thing” needs to be curbed before it spreads.
Meanwhile, MCA spokesman Ti Lian Ker said the deteriorating state of harmony among Malaysians of different races was worrying.
“Somehow along the way we are slowly losing our ability to live together as Malaysians, and co-exist in harmony, unity and stability,” he said.
“Race, culture, and religion are being exploited. This trend is dangerous and tearing the nation apart,” he said.
However, giving the shopkeeper the benefit of the doubt, Ti said that perhaps the operator did not mean to be offensive.
“Maybe it is the manner of communication that was offensive. Decisions that may be sensitive should be communicated apologetically,” he said.
In September, two laundrette operators, one in Muar and the other in Kangar, were criticised by various quarters after they were reported to have also enforced a Muslims-only customer policy.
On Sept 27, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, reprimanded the owner of the Muar laundrette, telling him to operate his business in Afghanistan if he wanted to continue with such a policy.
The Raja Muda of Perlis followed suit when news came out about the Kangar laundrette operator imposing the same policy.
On Oct 10, the Conference of Rulers condemned controversies such as the Muslims-only laundrettes, saying such acts went “beyond all acceptable standards of decency”.
The rulers said these actions risked the harmony within Malaysia’s multi-religious and multiracial society, and that the damaging implications of such actions became more severe when they were erroneously associated with or committed in the name of Islam.
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