KUCHING: A non-governmental organisation (NGO) has appealed to the government not to make it compulsory for coffeeshop proprietors to display alcoholic drinks separately from other beverages.
In making this call, Malaysia-Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association president Ho Su Mong said the government should consider public opinion when implementing new policies.
He said coffeeshop proprietors would not mind separating alcoholic drinks from other beverages by placing them on a different tray in the same refrigerator.
However, they would find it very inconvenient if they were required to have a separate refrigerator for alcoholic beverages, he said at the Kuching Coffeeshop and Restaurant Owners’ Association’s 70th anniversary dinner here last Saturday.
Last June, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam announced this policy when revealing that the government had decided to raise the age limit for buying alcoholic beverages from 18 to 21.
He said premises selling alcohol would have to display a notice prohibiting the sale of liquor to those under 21 and to warn customers of the dangers of consuming such beverages.
Manufacturers have until the end of next year to ensure their products have a warning label while bars and other outlets must display alcoholic drinks separately from other beverages, he added.
“The regulations pertaining to control of alcohol under Food Regulation 1985 were amended and gazetted on May 27. Changes in policy are in line with an international agreement signed by Malaysia in 2010 during the World Health Assembly, aimed to reduce availability of alcoholic beverages in the market.”
Ho pointed out that all alcoholic beverages on sale complied with the standards set by the Ministry of Health.
As such, he said coffeeshop proprietors could not comprehend why they were expected to display alcoholic drinks separately from other beverages.
The association, according to him, had approached Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing to submit a formal appeal to the Ministry of Health.
Ho opined that the best solution to this issue would be asking coffeeshop proprietors not to display alcoholic drinks next to other beverages.
He said some outlets, particularly the traditional ones, might not have enough space for another refrigerator. The extra appliance would not only occupy the limited place but also cause a burden to coffeeshop proprietors, he added.
He said he was all for the 1Malaysia concept mooted by the prime minister, and he hoped the country’s leaders could see for themselves that Malaysians, irrespective of race, could dine together in harmony.