ENFORCEMENT on the sale of alcohol in restaurants does not fall within the purview of the National Security Council (NSC), said Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The senior minister said under its current standard operating procedure (SOP), pubs, bars, nightclubs, as well as entertainment and karaoke centres fall in its negative list.

“The negative list means they are not allowed to open or operate.

“Restaurants that sell liquor are not included in the list. After all, most Japanese restaurants sell sake (a Japanese alcoholic drink),” he told the Vibes news portal today.

Ismail said such enforcement measures fall under the local authority’s purview.

His comments comes after police had ordered several restaurants in the affluent Bangsar area to stop selling alcohol to its patrons last night.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Saiful Azly Kamaruddin said the sale of alcohol from the bar is not allowed under the movement-control order (MCO), since only restaurants are allowed to operate.

“Premises with a restaurant and bar licence cannot open their bar. Only restaurants are allowed to operate,” said Saiful.

He said police were following the SOP set by the NSC.

The SOP states that under the MCO, pubs and nightclubs including those with a restaurant, remain closed under the MCO. Only restaurants can operate.

The Vibes, which reported on bar and restaurant owners’ confusion, said police had ordered the owners to stop selling alcohol specifically.

“Police told us to stop serving alcohol because it is an order by the NSC.

“So, police came to clarify that areas under MCO cannot serve alcohol, but if you are under the CMCO you can,” Omar Osman, the manager of W1 restaurant bar, told The Vibes.

Joshua Billique, from the Bangsar Bar and Restaurants Owners, said the SOP do not prohibit restaurants from serving alcohol.

“According to what I have heard, these are instructions by the officer in charge of the Brickfields district police.

“This is a very sudden rule change without proper announcement,” he told the portal. – February 20, 2021.