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KUALA LUMPUR: The recently introduced guidelines for liquor license applications at the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) were not unusual, as similar rules have been introduced in other countries and in Europe, Federal Territories Minister Annuar said today Muse.
He said surveys had been conducted on the guidelines used in other countries, including the system practiced by Singapore, prior to the introduction of the new rules here.
“We also look at the rules that apply in other countries and in Europe where the purchase of liquor is very controlled in terms of time and place where it can be sold. Therefore, it has nothing to do with religious or racial issues, “he said.
Annuar said the guidelines were intended to regulate the sale of alcohol following public complaints about the sale of illegal liquor and alcoholic beverages in small packages at various stores and convenience store chains.
“There are also those who sell liquor to minors and school students, as it is readily available everywhere,” he added.
The new DBKL guidelines for liquor licenses stipulate that sundry stores and convenience stores will no longer be able to sell liquor as of October 1 of next year.
The measure was met with mixed reactions from various quarters, with some linking it to issues of race and religion.
Earlier today, a deputy minister for religious affairs, Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, said the government had not ruled out the possibility of expanding the ban to all the various stores, grocery stores, convenience stores and Chinese medicine stores across the country.
