Shahidan holds power to reverse liquor ban, says Lee

Lee is questioning the reason for the liquor ban.

SOCIAL activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye threw support behind several retail stores which are prohibited from selling hard liquor in Kuala Lumpur.

Lee, the longest serving City Hall Advisory Board member with 16 years on the board, said it was simply not right to ask businesses which had been operating for decades to stop selling liquor.

“These outlets have been operating for years and it has never been an issue before, so why create a storm in a teacup now?’’ he said.

“I have served under five mayors and this has never been an issue before, so I am curious as to why they decided to ban the sale.’’

The new liquor guidelines on liquor sale restrictions, which excludes beer, was brought up on Nov 15 last year.

Initially set to be enforced on Oct 1, the ban was postponed for a month for guidelines to be finalised.

Now sundry shops, convenience shops and Chinese medicine halls can only sell beer, from 7am to 9pm.

“I am a logical man and to me, it is illogical to ban the sale of liquor, especially now when businesses are struggling to survive,” Lee said, adding that more flexibility should be given to help businesses survive the aftermath of a pandemic.

“Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the decision to ban liquor sale was not his and was made by the Excise Licensing Board of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (ELBKL), so what was the reason?”

Lee said if the reason was unreasonable and unjustifiable then the ban should be lifted immediately and affected businesses should be allowed to sell hard liquor.

“If we are to give meaning to this month that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri has designated as ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ month, then we must consider the plight of all members of the ‘Malaysian Family’ and not discriminate against any group or community,’’ Lee said.

“This is not a Cabinet decision (to ban liquor sale) but the decision of a former minister and Shahidan has the power to change that,” he said, adding that it was within the power of the Federal Territories Minister to reverse the decision.