NEWS
KUALA LUMPUR’S PLAN TO BAN LIQUOR SALE IN SUNDRY SHOPS MET WITH INDUSTRY OBJECTIONS
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
25-11-2020
Credit: Irdina Azia/Unsplash
The municipal authorities of Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur recently issued new guidelines to ban sale of hard liquor in sundry shops, convenience stores and Chinese medicine shops from 1 October 2021, the decision has met with objections from the city’s alcohol trade.
The new liquor licensing guidelines, issued by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, will also bar shops in front of police stations, places of worship, schools and hospitals from selling hard liquor.
The new guidelines also stipulate that existing sundry shops, convenience stores and Chinese medicine shops that sell hard liquor can only renew their liquor licence until 30 September 2021.
From 1 October 2021, hard liquor can only be sold in pubs, bars, lounges, restaurants as well as supermarkets and hypermarkets in commercial complexes.
The municipal authorities said the new guidelines aimed at regulating the sale of alcohol following public complaints about moonshine and alcohol sale to minors in some of these premises.
But many non-Muslim Kuala Lumpur residents believed that the new guidelines are religion-driven, some opposition leaders slammed the rules as violating the constitutional rights of non-Muslims.
Kuala Lumpur’s alcohol trade said that the new restrictions will hurt businesses as well as government tax income.
Albert Chooi Leong Peow, Secretary-general of Associated Liquor Merchants Association, said that other than the loss of tax revenue, further restrictions can also encourage unlicensed and moonshine trade.
Chooi said his association will be holding meetings soon and discuss the new guidelines before meeting with Kuala Lumpur authorities to voice their objection.
Hong Chee Meng, President of Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Association, said every business is now struggling to stay afloat because of COVID-19, the new regulations will add extra pressure on sundry shop owners making it even harder to survive the pandemic economy.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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