SHAH ALAM, Oct 15 — State executive councillor (exco) Datuk Teng Chang Khim today called on all parties to not sensationalise an issue involving the organisation of beer festivals in the state.

Teng, who is the Selangor Investment, Industry & Commerce, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Transportation Committee chairman, said that, prior to this, the Selangor government had never prevented the organisations of events that met the local authorities’ (PBT) regulations, including events involving beer consumption.

"This festival is actually the ‘Oktoberfest’, not a liquor party... we should not have sensationalised a business programme organised by a trader by arbitrarily changing the name of the programme.

"All business activities can apply to the local authorities and an event’s approval will be subject to the conditions set by the local authorities and the state government’s stand,” he told reporters here today.

Commenting further, he also criticised the State Tourism and Culture, Malay Civilisation and Heritage Committee chairman, Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari who described the event as having no moral value.

Teng said that as an exco member Abdul Rashid should not have issued such a statement as the country comprised of a multi-racial and multi-cultural society.

"I think Datuk Abdul Rashid is a new exco... not yet five months (as an exco), so he does not know the government’s policy and stand on this issue.

"It’s not appropriate that he made a statement to the effect that the state government did not allow the ‘Oktoberfest’, and it was a wrong statement, his stand that this ‘Oktoberfest’ is an immoral programme is his personal opinion,” Teng added.

Abdul Rashid recently said the state government did not intend to allow any party to organise a beer festival or Oktoberfest in the state.

He said it was because the state government would not support any activities or programmes that had no moral values including organising a beer festival. — Bernama