Nationwide liquor licence rule shocks Guan Eng

 

Coffee shops and restaurants will be required to pay over RM1,000 in customs liquor licences to sell beer. (Reuters pic)

GEORGE TOWN: A beer sales restriction at coffee shops and restaurants from next month in Perlis and a further federal requirement for all kopitiam to have a liquor licence to sell beer has alarmed DAP’s Lim Guan Eng.

This is another sign of further erosion of non-Muslim rights in the country, the DAP secretary-general said in response to a customs department briefing to kopitiam and restaurant operators in Perlis, warning them of a crackdown on those selling beer at their outlets without getting a liquor licence.

The Perlis government, via its local councils there, has further limited beer sales to four cartons a day, it was reported.

Both rules will take effect in January, with China Press quoting customs officers as saying this followed the requirements of a 1976 excise regulation.

In a statement today, Lim said these coffee shops and restaurants would now be required to pay more than RM1,000 in customs liquor licences at a time when business had slumped during the pandemic.

He said the licence ruling would affect thousands of coffee shops and restaurants, which only make small profits from selling beer.

Lim said some coffee shops might be forced to stop selling beer because of the high licence fees.

“Is this the outcome intended and the real political motivation of the federal government to comply with the wishes of the extremist party, PAS?

“This is about deliberately imposing unnecessary restrictions and interfering in the lifestyle and business practices of non-Muslims that have remained undisturbed since Merdeka just to satisfy PAS,” he said.

The PAS-led Kedah government had earlier announced that it would curb alcohol sales in “low-demand” areas and ban 4D gaming shops.

Lim asked the non-Muslim Cabinet members, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, why they did not object to such a ruling.

He said DAP’s legal team would now study the issue and immediately take the matter to court.

“DAP urges local governments, especially in Pakatan Harapan-controlled states, not to implement such regulations that restrict and limit the existing rights of non-Muslims,” he said. - FMT