4 theSun | WEDNESDAY MAY 20 2009

news without borders

Beer ban in
Selangor?
by Terence Fernandez
terence@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Is the sale of beer going to
be banned from retail outlets such as super-
markets, sundry shops and convenience stores
in Selangor? It may be hard to imagine that
one of the most multi-ethnic and liberal states
would take an extreme approach towards
addressing social issues but a high-powered
meeting chaired by Mentri Besar Tan Sri
Abdul Khalid Ibrahim tomorrow will see this
proposal being tabled.
According to sources, the state government
is against any form of banning the sale but
has been under pressure by several groups,
including PAS, to at least implement more
stringent measures to control the sale of beer
after midnight.
“The problem is one does not need a liquor
licence to sell beer which is the main alcoholic
beverage being consumed,” said a source.
“Certain groups, PAS being one of them,
are trying to push their own agenda to ban
beer and liquor all together in Selangor. This is
ridiculous as even in Kelantan, non-Muslims
can buy beer from non-Muslim-run outlets,”
he said.
It is understood that the proposal was
mooted by several Selangor PAS leaders who
had used several local authorities, including
the Shah Alam City Council, as a conduit.
The City Council had imposed a ban on beer
sales in 24-hour retail outlets and has not al-
lowed pubs to operate in some parts of the city.
The legality of the ban is also in question.
The meeting, to be held in the state govern-
ment building in Shah Alam, will be attended
by all heads of local councils, several state ex-
ecutive councillors, representatives of the two
main breweries, liquor traders and retailers.
Selangor Mufti Datuk Mohd Tamyes Abd.
Wahid and Selangor CPO Datuk Khalid Abu
Bakar will also be attending.
Consumer groups such as Fomca and the
Muslim Consumers’ Association have also
been invited. So has the Syariah Lawyers As-
sociation. However, the absence of an invita-
tion to the Bar Council appears conspicuous.
If the proposal to limit the sales of beer is
adopted, then the hardest hit would be 24-hour
outlets such as convenience stores and some
petrol marts, said a beer trader.
“This does not make sense as one can still
buy beer in Chinese coffee shops, some of
which operate 24 hours as well,” he said.
Tesco Stores (M) Sdn Bhd director of
corporate and legal affairs Azlam Shah Alias,
who will be attending the meeting, said the
hypermarket has fulfilled all requirements in
selling hard liquour, such as creating a sepa-
rate section, complete with a special counter.
“We sell it until 9pm and when time’s up,
we shut down our rollers, but for beer it is a
bit tricky as it is the layman’s drink,” he said
when contacted. Azlam admitted it was going
to be tough to meet in the middle where the
sale of beer is concerned.
“But we will see how best we can come to
compromise in fulfilling our social obligations
without affecting our business.”
Meanwhile, state executive councillor for
local government Ronnie Liu said the meeting
was called to allow all stakeholders to have
their say.
“We cannot be too conservative in a multi-
racial society but at the same time the state
government understands the concerns of those
opposed to the sale of beer after midnight,” he
said when contacted.
Liu said there were concerns of people
getting rowdy after drinking too much and
supports a certain measure of control as long
as it was practical and does not affect the rights
of responsible individuals.
“I believe in controlling certain things but
we must be reasonable, that’s why I want this
discussion to take place so that it will enable
all quarters to understand the issue better and
reach a compromise.
“Even in Australia, you cannot hold a can
of beer and walk in the streets as there is a
tendency to be rowdy, so that kind of control
I am open to but to stop convenience outlets
from selling beers totally is not a good solu-
tion,” he said.
Liu added that as there are many 24-hour
outlets, any ruling must be fair and standard-
ised or else the state will be seen as favouring
some outlets while victimising others.
» Good sense must prevail Page 13

Selangor to table Freedom

of Information bill
by Meena L. Ramadas
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: The government is
rushing to table a bill on Freedom of
Information Act in the next Selangor
state assembly meeting.
“We hope to complete the draft
of the bill by July or latest, November
this year,” exco member Elizabeth
Wong said at the Selangor Press
Freedom Day forum in Dewan Civic
yesterday.
“We want to increase transpar-
ency, accountability and good govern-
ance with the enactment of the law,”
said Wong, who heads a Freedom
of Information Committee to ensure
that the law is endorsed by the federal
government.
“We feel that it is the right of the
people to access information that
governs their lives. This proposed law
is a check-and-balance effort which
is a part of good governance,” Mentri
Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
said.
The act will allow citizens to ac-
cess declassified state government
documents. Wong said the govern-
ment hoped federal laws would not
override the enactment, adding that
the main deterrent of its implementa-
tion is the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
“We are not sure what records are
under the OSA. As far as I know, the
state government can contest the
decision of the federal government
on classified state documents under
the OSA,” Khalid said.
According to Centre for Independ-
ent Journalism head Sevan Doraisamy,
the enactment will greatly benefit civil
servants from accusations of corrup-
tion.
“The benefits are that civil servants We want
will finally get credit for the good work
and the documents that are available
to increase
to the public will clearly indicate the transparency,
way in which a governmental plan accountability
was carried out,” he said. and good
In the forum, the government also governance
launched a newspaper called Selangor
Kini and a TV Selangor website (www. with the
tvselangor.com) aimed at promoting enactment of
freedom of information among Selan- the law.”
gor citizens.
Khalid said Malaysia’s position – Elizabeth Wong
in the International Freedom of the
Press Index deteriorated from 92 in
2006 to 124 in 2007.
Last year, Malaysia fell further to
132nd.
“This does not reflect a country
that claims to be democratic,” Khalid
said.