Alcohol ban may undermine spirit of Rukun Negara and unity

AS president of the Chiefs Circle (made up of retired armed forces chiefs) and former chairman of Pernama (Malaysian Armed Forces Trading Corporation, which runs 85 retail stores nationwide at military camps catering to armed forces personnel, veterans and their families), I strongly support president of Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan Brig-Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji’s recent statement opposing the ban on the sale of liquor in sundry shops, grocery and convenience stores and Chinese medicine shops from October next year by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

My position is simple and similar to that of Mohamad Arshad’s. While it is not my business to promote alcohol consumption, we must respect the rights of non-Muslims as we live in a multi-religious country and, for many generations, there have been no problems on the sale of liquor in these outlets.