KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim was practising double standards for prohibiting the sale of liquor in the city’s sundry shops and Chinese medicine halls, said parliamentarians.
They made the accusation after he told Parliament that liquor could be sold without the same restrictions in all major hotels and supermarkets and shopping complexes as well as pubs.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok asked Shahidan why he kept insisting alcohol was a vice and should not be sold while simultaneously allowing it to be sold by hotels, supermarkets and large companies.
“On one hand, you bring up WHO (World Health Organisation), religious groups and so on condemning the sale of liquor and how it will affect society negatively, then the next time you say it can be bought in shopping complexes, pubs, hotels and supermarkets.
“Do you know hard liquor only makes up 6 per cent of all sales nationwide? The majority of sales are from beer. So now you’re allowing hotels and supermarkets to sell but sundry shops cannot. This is discrimination against small businesses.
“This is double standards. These small shops have always adhered to the rule of law but you keep talking about ‘samsu haram’. Who will openly sell samsu haram in 7-11, KK Mart and other convenience stores, I ask you? If so it’s a matter for the police,” she said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, Kepong Mp Lim Lip Eng, Segambut Mp Hannah Yeoh, Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, Shah Alam Mp Khalid Samad and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed ABdul Rahman then all took turns accusing Shahidan of misleading the Dewan Rakyat when he said he had a win-win solution for the matter.
Shahidan had met the Kuala Lumpur MPs a few weeks ago to discuss the alcohol issue but Yeoh said he cut the meeting short and promised them a winning solution.
Today, the MPs also told Shahidan not to try and blame his predecessor, Tan Sri Annuar Musa, for the matter.
Syed Saddiq asked Shahidan to reconsider the ban and show the Dewan Rakyat his evidence from the supposed research showing alcohol sales caused social problems.
Shahidan was adamant that many parties supported the ban.
