PETALING JAYA: NGOs cannot forcibly prevent retailers from selling alcoholic beverages, said Perak MCA chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon.
Every action must be carried out in accordance with the law and no organisation should take the law into their own hands, he added.
Dr Mah was referring to a May 24 incident in Manjoi where a group of men from an NGO were filmed compelling workers who were restocking cans of beers into the beverage cooler at a convenience store to remove the items.
“If the organisation believes that the store in question is not suitable to sell alcoholic beverages, then it should take action through legal channels,” he said in a statement on Monday (May 28).
He urged the NGOs to lodge a complaint with the local council or the police instead.
“Violent moves of threatening the staff of the store should be discouraged and disallowed by all means,” he said.
He added that the Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu has taken a “moderate stance” on the issue, and urged the state government to take action against the men.
Faizal had said the NGO should not have acted on its own, but also advised shop operators to be "more sensitive to the feeling of locals".
MCA publicity spokesman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker has also spoken out on the issue, saying that the traders have the right to sell alcoholic drinks taking into account restrictions under the Excise Act.
“There is no law that prohibits any such sales in a Malay-majority area. However, there are personal laws that forbid Muslims from purchasing these drinks,” he said.
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