Malaysia's Swatch Pride watches ban: Did it have the desired outcome?

In a controversial move, the Malaysian government recently imposed a ban on the ownership of the rainbow watches produced by Swatch, citing concerns about their supposed recognition of the LGBTQ+ community, a group that Malaysia does not officially acknowledge.

While this decision has sparked outcry from human rights activists, one political analyst believes its impact on investor confidence and political gains may be short-lived.

“I think it could have some negative impact but I don’t see the impact being major. I say this because businesses mostly think of profit over social issues. They would fit their business model to a specific nation’s social structure in order to reach consumers. But losing investors would of course be unfortunate,” said Syaza Shukri, an Associate Professor of Political Science.

Syaza perceives Malaysia as one of the several non-Western nations that demonstrates a more intricate and harmonised interplay between cultural considerations and individual rights, suggesting that the prioritisation does not necessarily favour one side over the other.

Nevertheless, she acknowledged that discussing this matter can be challenging.

She said that the ban, as observed, did not yield a noticeable result in terms of garnering support during the recent state elections.

“As we can see, this decision by the current government did not move the needle in terms of gaining more support in the recent six state elections. I trust the current government would like to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues but they are under a lot of societal and political pressure to conform. I foresee a difficult time ahead,” she said.

The Swatch ban and raids

The ban, which prohibits citizens from owning or displaying rainbow-coloured Swatch watches, has ignited a fierce debate about freedom of expression and human rights in the country.

Before the prohibition took effect, the law enforcement division under Malaysia's Ministry of Interior carried out a series of raids on Swatch outlets in 11 shopping complexes in May.

The raids were conducted due to the presence of timepieces that were identified as containing elements associated with the LGBT community.

In an official statement released by the ministry, it said that individuals found engaged in activities such as printing, importing, producing, or possessing such items could now potentially face imprisonment for a duration of up to three years.

The recently instituted ban also stipulates that individuals who either wear or distribute these watches may incur a substantial fine of RM20,000.

What does it mean for the LGBTQ+ community?

Two prominent human rights organisations, Justice for Sisters (JFS) and Sisters in Islam (SIS), have chastised the government for what they view as an infringement on individual liberties and an attempt to suppress any form of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

Speaking to Yahoo Southeast Asia, a spokesperson from SIS said, “The recent ban on Swatch watches or related materials from its Rainbow collection shows an overreaction from the government. It is perplexing to see how a fashion accessory could be construed as something that could harm public morality and public order thus, banning the fashion items.”

SIS also expressed concern about the repercussions of the regulations, stating that the penalties could have detrimental effects on the freedom of expression and diversity in Malaysia.

They also added that these measures might limit artistic expression, exert excessive control over consumer choices, and promote censorship.

“In Malaysia, marginalised communities such as the LGBTQ community already face discrimination, harassment and abuse and it is pertinent to not encourage anymore discrimination towards them. We must be compassionate and embrace diversity and inclusion,” SIS said.

Meanwhile, Thilaga Sulathireh, a prominent human-rights activist and co-founder of JFS, told Yahoo that the ban appeared to be “discriminatory, illegal, and unreasonable”.

They believed that the state's justification for the ban, which claimed that LGBT individuals posed a threat to 'public morality, public order, and national security' lacked validity.

“In fact, the state misuses ‘public morality, public order and national security’ when they are used against LGBT people. In turn, the state reinforces misunderstanding and misuse of the concepts, as well as panic, marginalisation and discrimination against LGBTQ people with impunity,” said Thilaga.

They said the ban has the effect of legitimising discrimination against LGBTIQ individuals, and that this situation demonstrates a lack of protection for LGBTIQ individuals within the country.

“Access to justice meaning, when LGBT people face discrimination, they have no one to turn to or nowhere to go to seek protection. I think this really deepens the already wide trust deficit in public institutions especially,” Thilaga said.

“Based on our observations, the continued series of anti-LGBT events, is taking a toll on LGBTIQ people’s well-being. Many have expressed a desire to migrate or seek asylum,” they added.

Not changing under the Unity Government

Earlier this year, during an exclusive interview on the 'Naratif Khas Bersama Perdana Menteri' program by Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim firmly stated that his administration would not endorse the recognition of LGBT, the concept of a secular state, or communist ideology.

Anwar underscored that any other assertions were baseless attempts to propagate misinformation.

“This is a delusion. Of course, it will never happen under my administration,” said the Prime Minister at the time of the interview.

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