Liquor ruling infringes on rights of non-Muslims, says Kok

 

A new ruling, which will now be imposed on Oct 31, prohibits the sale of liquor at grocery stores, convenience stores and Chinese medical halls in Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition MPs today questioned the reason for restricting liquor sales in Kuala Lumpur.

They said the ruling by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) infringed on the rights of non-Muslims and had confused Chinese medical hall operators.

The ruling restricts the sale of liquor to pubs, bars, hotels and at certain outlets, and prohibits sales at grocery stores, convenience stores and Chinese medical halls.

Federal territories minister Shahidan Kassim told the Dewan Rakyat the restriction is to prevent the sale of liquor to Muslims and non-Muslims aged below 21.

This prompted Teresa Kok (PH-Seputeh) to say that these groups could still buy and drink it at home or buy liquor online.

Kok also said Kuala Lumpur had a multiracial population and was supposed to show “the face of Malaysia”.

“Liquor is one of the products sold by grocery stores in Kuala Lumpur,” she said.

“The guidelines for Chinese stores are also unfair as a lot of herbal products contain liquor and are part of these health products.”

Kok said this ban was a “disappointment” as operators did not know if they could still sell their products.

“Why is DBKL disrupting small businesses? Buyers can still buy liquor online. It may also lead to an increase in sales of illegal liquor,” she said.

She suggested a dialogue between those objecting to the restrictions and those who support the ruling.

Shahidan said, however, that the ruling, supposed to have been imposed from Oct 1, had now been postponed to Oct 31.

He proposed a win-win situation and a “middle ground”, acknowledging that it was not only about those selling liquor but also about the buyers.

“We are under the Malaysian Family concept that respects all. There are adequate liquor licences at the moment. It is just that the places that can sell liquor will be limited to discourage youths,” he said.

The Arau MP said the ruling only stated that liquor should be sold at specific outlets “but, for non-Muslims, it is still available”.

Other MPs said Shahidan should know that the non-Muslims felt their rights had been infringed upon.

Earlier, Shahidan said applications for licences to sell liquor had increased, with 434 received and approved in 2019.

Ninety-seven applications were received in 2020 and 131 this year, and all were approved, he said.

The original question was raised by Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli (PAS-Dungun), who asked the reason for the liquor ban at grocery stores, convenience stores and Chinese medical halls  from Oct 1. - FMT