KUCHING, Sept 20: Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) president Cobbold John today advised Dayaks not to drink cheap liquor.
He gave this advice following the death of 20 men in Kuala Lumpur recently after consuming a variety of cheap liquors, including beer. Initial probes revealed the consumed items contained methanol.
Cobbold claimed many shops in rural Sarawak were selling cheap liquor that had a very high alcohol content, and they are marketed under many “attractive” brands.
“I am not against people consuming liquor, but we must know what kind of drinks we want to consume,” he said in a statement.
Citing the Ministry of Health, Cobbold said the victims in the Kuala Lumpur episode had consumed alcoholic beverages sold under the brands Grand Royal Whisky, Mandalay Whisky and Kingfisher Beer — they were laced with methanol to make them more potent.
He urged the Health Department, rural local councils and other relevant agencies to conduct checks on sundry shops and coffee shops that sell cheap liquor to locals.
“I tend to find that fake brandy or whisky is easily available in rural coffee shops or sundry shops,” said Cobbold, adding that the money spent on alcoholic drinks could be better used to buy food for the family or for children’s education.
“Prolonged consumption of cheap liquor like ‘Chap Langkau’ and compounded brandy or whisky may lead to blindness or damage the kidney, thus becoming a burden to their families,” he said, cautioning that excessive consumption of hard liquor might lead to premature death. — DayakDaily
