TRANSPORT Minister Wee Ka Siong must stop making false announcements about alcohol licence requirements for coffee shops and restaurants and instead pressure the government to postpone enforcement of the ruling, Lim Guan Eng said today.

In the continuing feud between the two politicians, Lim urged Wee to clarify his assurances that the requirement have been revoked when such is not the case.

The DAP secretary-general said instead the state governments have been given new powers to decide whether to require food and beverage outlets to have a licence to sell alcohol.

“Wee should be pressuring Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz to postpone the enforcement of the alcohol licence as well as revoke the power of the State Licensing Authority to decide,” Lim said in a statement.

He said only the Pakatan Harapan state governments have agreed not to disrupt the businesses by making them apply for a permit to sell beer on their premises.

“Many coffee shops and restaurant operators in the PH controlled states of Penang, Negri Sembilan and Selangor are relieved that they do not have to apply for a licence to sell beer or alcoholic drinks,” he said.

“But they stand together in solidarity with coffee shop and restaurant operators in non-PH controlled states to firmly oppose any new licensing requirement.

“The fear is that this is the first step to introduce licensing to some states first and then let it spread by imposing this nationally,” he said.

Lim also urged Wee, who is the MCA president, guarantee that all the states will not impose the licensing requirement on coffee shop and restaurant operators.

Lim was responding to Wee’s statement yesterday expressing perplexity that the former finance minister remained angry about the alcohol licensing issue even after the federal government had directed the Customs Department not to proceed with the enforcement of the ruling

Wee said the Customs Department, in a December 9 circular, had stated that it had been directed by the Finance Ministry the day before to discontinue plans to enforce alcohol licensing requirements.

However, Tengku Zafrul later clarified in a statement that the liquor licence requirement had not been revoked.

He said it was up to the individual state licensing authority to decide whether to require retail premises to own a licence to sell alcoholic drinks.

Lim said despite Wee having been caught telling a lie, the minister still refused to admit that he had deliberately misled the public.

“Until now Wee has not rebutted this new Finance Ministry policy of delegating the power to license or exempt retail premises to the respective State Licensing Authority,” he said.

“Previously this enforcement of licensing was not delegated to the respective state governments but postponed in a directive by the Customs Department on September 20, 1993,” he said.

It was reported that starting next year, the Customs Department will require coffee shops and restaurants to apply for a licence to sell alcohol.

The ruling has been slammed as it adds to the financial burden on coffee shop and restaurant operators who are already suffering from the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. – December 11, 2021.