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Ahok retracts booze ban, refers back to old bylaw
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama will drop the policy that bans the distribution and consumption of liquor in the capital and will revert back to its old bylaw following the revocation of the Ministerial Decree No. 6/2015 on the control and supervision over the production, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages.
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Police officers listen to a suspect, only known as P, regarding the distribution of bootleg liquor, locally known as oplosan, at Mlati Police Office in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on Feb. 10. At least 26 people have died in Yogyakarta after consuming oplosan, which is mixed with various chemicals such as methanol. (Antara/Andreas Fitri Atmoko)
J
akarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama will drop the policy that bans the distribution and consumption of liquor in the capital and will revert back to its old bylaw following the revocation of the Ministerial Decree No. 6/2015 on the control and supervision over the production, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages.
Basuki said the administration referred to the decree in its earlier policy. However, since the decree had been annulled, the administration would return to use Jakarta Bylaw No. 8/2007 on public order as the legal basis.
"Previously, stipulations in the [ministerial] decree conflicted with those in the bylaw even though later the Trade Ministry revised its own decree. Now, in Jakarta, we have decided to refer back to the old bylaw,” Basuki was quoted by official website beritajakarta.com, as saying on Monday.
The old bylaw, Basuki said, allowed limited distribution of liquor with age restrictions, which suggested close supervision from liquor vendors as well as the public.
"The bylaw doesn’t ban liquor, it only limits the distribution instead. That’s why the most important thing is to monitor the consumers,” he said without elaborating.
On Sunday, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has strengthened his stance against the consumption of liquor by stating it is important for all regions to have bylaws banning the distribution of alcoholic drinks across their territories.
Some bylaws in the regions only limit the distribution of liquor. The increasing number of criminal cases driven by the misuse of alcohol, however, has put lax bylaws under the spotlight.
Through the bylaws, several regions now only allow the sale of alcohol in particular places, like hotels or bars. No shops have been allowed to sell liquor since the issuance of such regulations.
Debate on whether to restrict the distribution of liquor has drawn public attention as the House of Representatives is now deliberating a bill to regulate alcoholic drinks. (dmr)
