Beer fest was incident-free for five years, says organiser

The Better Beer Festival has been free of any incident over the past five years it has been held, its organiser Mybeer (M) Sdn Bhd said today.

The firm also said that strict security measures had always been practised during the event.

Mybeer was responding to MCA president Liow Tiong Lai, who cited security reasons with regard to the cancellation of this year's fest, slated for Oct 6 and 7 at the Publika mall in Kuala Lumpur.

"We refer to the statement made by the MCA president after the cabinet meeting yesterday, regarding the security concerns at this event.

“We would like to reiterate that we have held this festival annually for the last five years with no untoward incidents before, during or after the event,” it said.

Mybeer will also seek a meeting with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to present its provisions for security again, which the firm stressed were adequate.

“As had been adhered to in the past five festivals we organised, we will be conducting strict ID and security checks at all entry points into the enclosed areas, with multiple security personnel and Bulan Sabit Merah (Red Crescent Society), together with the support of Polis Bantuan (auxiliary police) from Publika to ensure the safety and security at the event," it added.

The company expressed hope that DBKL would agree to a meeting to review its decision to ban the event.

"We also welcome any further advice from DBKL to ensure that our festival at Publika remains a safe and fun one," it added.

The Better Beer Festival, an event to promote smaller breweries, has been taking place in Kuala Lumpur since 2011, without much fanfare.

However, it came to national prominence after PAS central committee member Riduan Mohd Nor complained about it and said it would lead to reprisals from extremists.

Mybeer was earlier informed by DBKL that the event was cancelled this year due to political sensitivities.- Mkini