SANDAKAN – It has been a year since pubs here were allowed to open, having been ordered to halt operations when the first movement control order (MCO) was imposed last March.
Leon Lo, 25, has been forced to drop his favourite night-time activity in favour of staying home or drinking at his friends’ houses.
“I cannot remember the last time I held a microphone and sang in front of strangers (at the pub).”
Before the MCO last year, he would go to the pub at least twice a week.
“I find it relaxing after a week of tiring and heavy work. When the MCO was called last year, I thought that it was going to last for only two weeks, so I stayed home most of the time.
“By May, the pubs were still not open, so I bought alcoholic drinks like beer from restaurants and drank at home just to release tension.
“When the situation became more relaxed, I started to go to my friends’ homes. We would gather in small groups to drink and chat every other week.”
However, said Lo, it is different from “happy hour” sessions, where he could sing in front of other pub patrons for entertainment.
“The good thing that came from this is that I have saved a lot of money. I realised that I used to spend about RM100 to RM200 per night at pubs.”
Andrew Yong, 31, said he now goes to a nearby Chinese restaurant that serves alcohol to get his “fix” once every few days.
“It is actually the same. All my problems fade away with that first sip of cold beer.
“The difference is that it is brighter than the pub, and I go home earlier, as the restaurant needs to close before 12am.”
Recently, the operators of pubs in Singapore Road here, including the Aloha pub, met Tg Papat assemblyman Datuk Frankie Poon, seeking his assistance.
Poon said he has visited the operators, and found that they are struggling to make ends meet as they have been closed for a year.
“They operated only for a couple of months early last year. Right now, they do not have any income, and are dependent on their savings, which will deplete to nil.
“I asked them to be patient because the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia is improving, and the government will allow pubs, bars and lounges to reopen soon.
“For now, I hope that the government or Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC) will consider waiving their premise licence fee, which is RM300 per month.
“Why should the licensees continue to pay the fee when they are not allowed to operate?
“SMC should just charge a minimum monthly fee of RM100 to ensure the validity of the licence.”
During the first MCO, which took effect on March 18 last year, pubs and nightclubs were among the businesses instructed to close.
The National Security Council, through Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, said it was to avoid issues with crowd control, as well as continuous close contact within a confined space, which increases the chance of being exposed to droplets containing the virus.
Even though pubs and nightclubs are still shut, restaurants with licences are allowed to sell alcohol within the permitted hours, up to midnight. – The Vibes, March 21, 2021
