KUALA LUMPUR – There is nothing unusual about the guidelines for liquor licence applications recently issued by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) as they have been introduced in other countries, including in Europe, said Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
He said surveys have been conducted on guidelines used in other countries, including in Singapore.
"We also looked at the rules applied in other countries, including Europe, where the purchase of liquor is very controlled in terms of time and places they are sold. Therefore, it has nothing to do with religious or racial issues," he said.
He said this at a press conference today after the presentation of donations to Kuala Lumpur residents' associations under the Wilayah Cakna 3.0 programme, which was also attended by his deputy, Datuk Seri Dr Santhara Kumar.
Annuar said the guidelines are aimed at regulating the sale of alcohol following public complaints on the sale of illegal liquor, as well as of alcoholic beverages in small packets at sundry shops and mini-market chains.
"There are also those who sell liquor to minors and schoolchildren as it is easily available everywhere," he added.
City Hall had recently introduced new guidelines for the application of a liquor licence, which, among others, stipulates that sundry shops and convenience stores will no longer be allowed to sell liquor from October next year.
The move gained mixed reactions from various quarters, with some linking it to issues of race and religion.
Meanwhile, the Federal Territories Ministry has allocated RM39.75 million to implement the Wilayah Cakna 3.0 initiative for city dwellers impacted by the conditional movement control order (CMCO).
"The government cares about the well-being of the Kuala Lumpur community, especially the less fortunate and the needy in continuing with their lives amidst the Covid-19 pandemic," he said. – Bernama, November 21, 2020
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