Why In the First Place have All the Intoxicating Beverages Factories Around the Country? Could Malaysia also One of the Biggest Exporters of Liquor in the World?

Why In the First Place have All the Intoxicating Beverages Factories Around the Country? Could Malaysia also One of the Biggest Exporters of Liquor in the World?


Tuesday March 1, 2011

High time to cut alcohol abuse

IKIM VIEWS

By DR WAN AZHAR WAN AHMAD

The rapid spread of liquor drinking and its addiction among youths, especially Muslims, is not helped by the easy availability of intoxicating beverages in 24-hour stores and groceries.

ON Feb 24, Ikim organised a roundtable conference on “Liquor and Its Prevention: The Experiences of Related Agencies” that was attended by senior representatives of different agencies concerned with the consumption of liquor and its implications.

It was a sequel to a discussion of experts on the subject by various religious leaders at the end of 2009.

On both occasions, Ikim contributed substantially and acted as the coordinator, trying to make all interested parties – in controlling the culture of liquor consumption and its consequences among all Malaysians – to sit together to discuss ways and means to curb the increasingly menacing phenomenon.

The triggering point that drove Ikim to undertake this was the alarming increase in the drinking habit among youths, especially Muslims.

The rapid spread of liquor drinking and its addiction is not helped by the easy availability of various intoxicating beverages in our 24-hour stores and groceries.

Besides Ikim, others who took part included the Health Ministry, the Education Ministry, the police, the Customs Department, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Selayang Municipal Council, the Islamic Development Department, the FT Religious Department, state religious councils (Selangor and Kelantan), state mufti offices (Sabah and Johor), academics from tertiary institutions, NGOs and policy makers.

This programme focused on a comprehensive preventive approach related to liquor consumption from the perspective of the agencies involved and the roles to be played by the respective bodies and organisations.

The conference’s objectives, inter alia, were to identify all preventive measures that had been implemented by related agencies in the past, present and future; to identify effective recommendations to strengthen the current preventive mechanisms; and to assist the Government to formulate policies having to do with mental health and solutions to the liquor issue.

Though giving priority to curbing the consumption of liquor within the Muslim community, the first point emphasised at the beginning of the conference was that liquor was indeed prohibited, or at least discouraged and disgraced, by all religions.

In lieu of the above, it’s perplexing for certain quarters to claim that the prohibition of liquor is exclusive for Muslims only.

Other religions do not really forbid liquor. Due to this, the non-Muslims perceive religious enforcement by Muslim authorities as actions that affect their right to do business.

And there are Muslims who hold that barring liquor is against the principle of human rights, and therefore, can be ignored.

One possible explanation, perhaps the best, for such confusion among Muslims and non-Muslims is because more people are becoming secular, discarding religion from their worldly life except in some personal matters only.

The truth is that all religions are against liquor. That’s why secularism is a common enemy to all religions.

Liquor, like in the case of cigarettes, does more harm than good to humans.

Despite this, it was amazing to learn that only 45% of the world’s population does not take liquor.

And surprisingly, maybe not, Malaysians were among the world’s heaviest drinkers!

From the point of civil law, liquor consumption is not an offence in Malaysia. Meaning, even in our country, liquor is a highly profitable commodity for one to venture into the business.

Liquor, like cars, have high taxes. The annual tax increment by the authorities is perhaps to reduce the number of drinkers, inevitably causing prices to rise accordingly.

This, however, does not seem to deter people from consuming the so-called prestigious drink on a daily basis.

It is believed that the Government is reaping more than RM1bil every year from liquor-related businesses.

But many are questioning the wisdom behind this huge profit as we spend more than RM2bil a year to treat diseases or handle problems originating from liquor.

Nevertheless, it is quite soothing to know that there are efforts at international and national levels to control the harmful effects of liquor.

On the global stage, for example, the World Health Assembly in May 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland, had reached an agreement to launch the “Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol.”

A global network was formed recently to implement those strategies.

At national level, it is pleasing to hear that one of the Government ministries is initiating a national action plan to prevent and reduce the harmful use of alcohol.

One of the recommendations at the conference was to gather all provisions related to liquor under just one Act of Parliament enforceable throughout the nation.

Currently legal provisions on the consumption of liquor, its sale, taxes and other related issues are found in various statutes.

This single proposed Act shall describe liquor in all its forms as a material equally destructive as drugs.

It must be mentioned, too, that the efforts by Ikim are moving in the same direction.

At the end of the conference, the organiser found that more agencies must be included.

Followers of all religions must deem liquor as a substance prohibited by God.

Even atheists are advised to despise it on moral and ethical grounds. All must stay away from it for the good of all mankind.