By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Nov 6: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) will not follow in Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) footsteps in banning the sale of liquor in grocers, convenience stores and Chinese medical halls or drugstores.
MBKS mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said there would be no changes to its current rules and regulations whereby liquor permits are not applicable for Chinese drugstores.
He assured that grocers and convenience stores that already have liquor licenses will not have any issues in extending their permits once they have expired as well.
“Ever since the implementation of the (liquor sales) ban in KL starting Nov 1, many (related business owners) have sent me WhatsApp messages to ask whether MBKS would follow suit.
“Some of the Chinese drugstore owners were worried, because medicinal liquor or medicinal wine are not products that consumers would buy all the time,” he said during his Facebook live session today.
Wee said this decision was made following discussions with Minister for Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, with the consideration that such regulations would further add to the burden of local microbusinesses.
He said many businesses in Sarawak have been and are still suffering the consequences from lockdowns and shortened business hours due to Covid-19 pandemic, so this is not the right time to enforce such a restriction.
He also found DBKL’s liquor sales ban to be “rather out of focus”.
“In my opinion, the thing that should be controlled is the selling of fake alcohol and those that have not been approved by the Health Ministry (KKM).
“Of course, it must also be enforced that alcohol should not be sold to minors and those prohibited from drinking due to religious reasons,” said Wee.
One other point regarding the liquor sales ban that he found rather unreasonable was the ban on selling medicinal liquor or medicinal wine in Chinese medical halls.
“I mean, a normal person would never drink medicinal liquor or wine like beer. This is impossible.
“So, I think medicinal liquor should not have been included in this restriction,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting who was invited to attend the Facebook live session, also agreed with Wee concerning the ban on medicinal liquor in Chinese drugstores. — DayakDaily
