Allegedly There Was An LGBTQ Writing, Malaysian Ministry Of Home Affairs Confiscated 172 Watches

Illustration of the confiscated watches. (Facebook/Fdaus Ahmad)

JAKARTA - The rainbow-colored Watch Watch, which was confiscated by the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs in early May, was reportedly confiscated for having the letter "LGBTQ", referring to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and query community, written on the front.

"We confiscated hundreds of watches and all of them have the letter 'LGBTQ' at the front of the watch," a government source was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today (FMT) in his report, reported by CNA May 30.

"We did not confiscate the watch just because of its rainbow color. If that's the problem, we need to grab ice cream," he said. The watches confiscated were part of the Swatch's Pride collection. Instead of the seven colors found in the rainbow, the watches feature six colors. One of the most famous symbols of the LGBT community is the six-color flag.

According to local media, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last Thursday: "The only fact I know is the confiscation is because the watch has an LGBT symbol, not because of its color."

In response, Swatch Group chief executive Nick Hayek said in a statement the confiscated watch did not refer to the LGBT community.

He was quoted by the Malay Mail in a report last Friday: "Mr. Anwar Ibrahim stated in a recent interview that Swatch's latest collection of colorful watches included the letter LGBT on its watch plate. Apparently, he misinformation."

"Swatch did not include any references to the LGBT community on this year's Pride collection dial," he explained.

"These colorful watches include the meaning of every color of pride (life, healing, sunlight, nature, harmony, enthusiasm) in the needle of the minute and two circles that make up the rainbow," he explained.

Previously, the Ministry of Home Affairs reportedly confiscated 172 Watches from outlets in 11 shopping centers for three days this month, with most watches including the six-line Pride Flag in its design.

According to the Malay Mail, the outlets include those in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang and Kota Kinabalu. Meanwhile, five outlets in Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, Johor and Sarawak were given warnings.

FMT reported that the confiscation was carried out after netizens linked the watch collection with the support of the British rock band Coldplay to the LGBT community.

Coldplay's first concert announcement in Malaysia, which will be held this November, has previously drawn criticism from a leader of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), who called for the cancellation of the event through a Facebook post on May 10.

The Facebook post was accompanied by vocalist Chris Martin holding the rainbow flag - which was used to represent the LGBT community - during the Coldplay performance at Wembley Stadium, London.

Last Tuesday, Minister of Religious Affairs Mohd Na'im Mokhtar was quoted by The Malaysian Insight (TMI) as saying the government had taken the initiative to curb the spread of LGBT ideology by carrying out rehabilitation programs.

These programs were organized by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and monitored by the Special Committee for Muslim LGBT Issues in Malaysia.

"This committee meets at least once a year or as needed. This committee consists of ministries, departments, institutions and NGOs that will coordinate LGBT issues that appear among Muslims in aspects of education and advocacy, da'wah, as well as guidance and law enforcement," Mohd Na'im explained in a written answer to parliament, according to TMI.

He also stated that although Malaysia did not recognize the LGBT movement, the government did not discriminate against members of the community.