Treat all beverages, beer included, fairly during MCO, says Chinese assembly hall

PETALING JAYA: The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) has appealed to the government to treat all beverages manufactured during the movement control order (MCO) fairly.

"KLSCAH is concerned over the Perikatan Nasional Government's revocation of the approval for beer producer Heineken and Carlsberg to continue operations during the MCO, following condemnation by some politicians of the initial decision," it said in a statement on Saturday (April 11).

The association noted that the MCO gazetted on March 18 listed "food supplies" as one of the "essential services" with minimum production allowed.

"There is no subdivision on what is essential and what is not.

"The essential nature of goods must be assessed by consumers, who are non-Muslims in the case of beer," the statement read.

The association said while allowing beer production might not be popular amongst Muslims, banning it for political expediency sent the wrong signal to both society and the economy.

"We firmly believe that the nation must come together and focus on the fight against the Covid-19 outbreak without unnecessary distraction from any controversial decisions, ” it added.

On April 6, the government made a U-turn and revoked its decision to allow Heineken Malaysia Bhd and Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd to continue their operations during the MCO period.

Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the approval for the breweries to continue was revoked during a special Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

On March 24, Heineken suspended operations of its brewery in Petaling Jaya due to the MCO that was in force.

However, on Sunday (April 5), it obtained approval from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to resume limited operations with a minimal number of essential workers during the MCO.

Heineken said only essential staff, less than 10% of its workforce, would be involved in ensuring a continuous and uninterrupted supply of its products, adding that its non-essential workers would continue to operate from home.

The MCO, which came into effect on March 18, has since been extended until April 28 following a recent spike in Covid-19 cases nationwide.