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Text your say: Jokowi told to drop prohibition bill
Limiting alcohol: A customer receives help from an attendant at a liquor shop
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Limiting alcohol: A customer receives help from an attendant at a liquor shop. The Association of Indonesian Retailersâ Association (Aprindo) said it would comply with the governmentsâ move to ban liquor sales in minimarts and basic commodity shops despite controversy over the regulation.(JP/Jerry Adiguna) (Aprindo) said it would comply with the governmentsâ move to ban liquor sales in minimarts and basic commodity shops despite controversy over the regulation.(JP/Jerry Adiguna)
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span class="inline inline-center">Limiting alcohol: A customer receives help from an attendant at a liquor shop. The Association of Indonesian Retailers' Association (Aprindo) said it would comply with the governments' move to ban liquor sales in minimarts and basic commodity shops despite controversy over the regulation.(JP/Jerry Adiguna)
I thought that we had already suffered enough by all that has happened in the past weeks and months ' but no. That about-to-be-legalized prohibition bill is now threatening those of us who are sensible drinkers, who cherish the enjoyment of alcoholic drinks.
That most of us are moderate drinkers who will never become abusive drunks has never been considered by the fanatical, intellectually challenged individuals and sponsors who drew up and supported that bill, and who have only their own political and religious interests at heart.
Has President Widodo been sufficiently informed of the fact that, if the prohibition bill is legalized, more than 180,000 workers in the local breweries are going to be laid off and will have no income to feed their families?
Does the President know that in the past months, more than 160 people, mostly financially disadvantaged, died a painful death from drinking illegally concocted alcoholic drinks, which contained, among other things, insect repellent?
At the time when local drinks such as arak and tuak (palm wine) could still be freely consumed, also by those with a relatively low income, such as fishermen, reports about such deaths were unheard of.
And has anyone on his presidential advisory board ever told him that, for several years now, numerous tourists from the Middle East have been flocking to areas such as Puncak, West Java, taking with them large amounts of high-alcohol content beverages such as whisky and cognac, which they guzzle there? All taxi drivers who take Middle Eastern tourists to their tourist destinations know about this.
If the President is really serious about his program to double this country's income from tourism, especially from foreigners from Western countries and from Australia, then he should, by all means, be decisive, marshal his courage and immediately invalidate and quash all plans to legalize the bill.
Tami Koestomo
Bogor
