Strict law enforcement better than suspending alcohol sales, says business group

The aftermath of the accident which killed a man in Kuantan yesterday. The man was hit by a driver going against traffic, believed to have been driving under the influence. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: A business organisation has downplayed a proposal by PAS for the suspension of alcohol production and sales until a solution is found to curb drink driving, saying what is needed is stricter law enforcement.

Ho Su Mong, president of the Malaysia-Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association, said the matter concerned the enforcement of the law rather than the consumption of alcohol.

He said stricter enforcement coupled with heavier punishments would serve as a deterrent and make drinkers think twice before breaching the law.

“We do not see much of this drink driving problem in our neighbouring countries. The enforcement there is really strict,” he told FMT.

Ho said the current penalty for drink driving was too light, considering that the act endangers the lives of other people.

Even for a first-timer, he said the punishment should be a RM100,000 fine, a two-year jail sentence or both, in order to make drinkers aware of the gravity of the crime.

Ho added that programmes could be conducted to raise greater awareness of the dangers and adverse effects of drink driving as well as the heavy punishment it would incur.

“We are a multiracial country with different ethnic groups with different cultures and drinking lifestyles. This, I think, is a more positive way of correcting the bad habits of those who like to drink.

“In a multiracial country, we should not go for the extreme.”

PAS yesterday called on Putrajaya to suspend the production and sale of alcohol until a solution was found to curb drink driving, following a spate of incidents involving intoxicated drivers.

It suggested that the Customs Department and local councils suspend the issuance of licences to sell alcohol and stop the sale of liquor at 24-hour convenience stores.

PAS said this after a man in Kuantan was killed when a car which was going against traffic flow, driven by a motorist believed to be drunk, collided into him.

A few days ago, the driver of a pick-up truck, believed to have been drunk, allegedly tried to ram shoppers and traders at a Ramadan bazaar in Bukit Sentosa, Hulu Selangor.

On May 3, meanwhile, a policeman on duty at a roadblock at the Kajang Selatan toll plaza on the Lekas highway died after being hit by a four-wheel-drive driven by a man believed to have been intoxicated. - FMT