KUALA LUMPUR – Bar and restaurant owners in Jalan Telawi were shocked tonight when police officers visited their premises and ordered them to stop serving alcohol.
It is understood that some of these bars operate as restaurants serving food that also serve alcohol.
According to the National Security Council standard operating procedures (SOPs), it is only pubs and clubs that should remain closed during the movement control order (MCO).
A group of police officers were seen visiting these establishments, but when asked by The Vibes regarding the order, they rudely said: “Go and ask the National Security Council.”
Ronnie Q’s restaurant and bar manager, who only wanted to be known as Suresh, said they were told by police they could operate as long as they do not serve alcohol.
Meanwhile, Omar Osman the manager of W1 restaurant bar said he was informed by police that they are enforcing an order by the NSC.
“The police told us to stop serving alcohol because it is an order by the NSC.
“So, the police came to clarify that areas under MCO cannot serve alcohol, but if you are under the CMCO you can,” Omar told The Vibes.
Muhd Samsul, manager for Healy Mac’s, said such a move will be detrimental for business.
“They didn’t fine us, merely gave us a warning. But 70% of our patrons are foreigners and they like to drink. So of course, we will see a drop in revenue.”
Meanwhile, Joshua Billique from the Bangsar Bar and Restaurants Owners (BRO) said the SOPs do not prohibit restaurants from serving alcohol.
“According to what I have heard, these are instructions by the officer in charge of the Brickfields district police (Brickfields OCPD).
“This is a very sudden rule change without proper announcement,” Joshua said.
Siva Shankar, who is also from BRO, said the move by the police violates constitutional rights, especially given that the NSC has not made an official statement.
“The Brickfields OCPD is clearly responsible for this.
“There has been no gazetted prohibition on the sale of alcohol. Plus if a customer wants to drink coffee or beer, how could they simply say no,” he said.
Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil said he has been receiving complaints from food and beverage operators in Bangsar, adding that the situation seems to be isolated to the Bangsar Telawi area.
“I was told by the operators that when they checked with their colleagues who operate in other places like Publika, they were not affected.”
Fahmi also said the issue here may be attributed to discrepancies in the implementation of SOPs.
“There is a bit of confusion because if you look at the SOPs, restaurants can operate until 10pm, but they don’t allow pubs to operate.
“However, since last year, I believe some bars or pubs have been converted to serve food as well. Now it is not clear what can or can’t be done.”
He said in the future if there are changes to SOPs, the NSC should have a briefing session with key stakeholders so proper explanations can be given. – The Vibes, February 19, 2021
