YOURSAY | 'The timing is also perfect for the Sarawak election.'
Govt's liquor licence policy for restaurants, coffee shops revoked
Beman: Wow, I am impressed. Hero Wee Ka Siong just appeared on the scene and the problem was solved.
This trickery may fool some people. But, in this information era, the number of people that are tricked into thinking that Wee has saved them will be much smaller than 50 years or even 20 years ago.
Many people I know would not be persuaded by this stage play to vote for Wee and MCA. In fact, this "Wee saves the kopitiam" episode only gives us one more reason not to vote for him and his outfit.
Appum: This is all planned "wayang" strategy for political mileage in ruffling the non-Malays a bit and providing the Muslims with a bit of "syiok sendiri" too.
This is also to test waters how far such rulings can stick.
Meanwhile, this matter is to allow MCA a chance to show its effective working relationship with the "tuans" and gain some political points and recognition for the party.
This is why Wee comes out strongly on stage to make the announcement. But this issue has been going on since April, as reported.
Why was MCA quiet until DAP came out to voice against the policy after it went public and with implementation about to happen?
Once again, this government is playing race and religion to divide the country.
MS: Back in the day when IT was still a black box requiring esoteric skills, including Indian rope tricks, the ploy to impress a rich but dumb client was to create a software glitch and then supposedly spend a sleepless night solving it.
The next morning, voila, everything works, and the grateful client can't thank the geniuses enough. Contract extended... bonus all around.
Was Wee ever in IT consulting?
Lost Hope: Yes, this could be a well-planned plot by BN. Make the announcement first and get MCA to act as the hero and reverse the policy, making BN look like they are people-centred.
The timing is also perfect for the Sarawak elections.
Open Minded 2281: Wee, were you sleeping when the policy was announced? You only took action when the opposition made this an issue at the Sarawak election.
Please do not sleep during cabinet meetings as the Malay-Muslim government and civil servants may come up with further restrictions on how non-Malays should live in Malaysia.
Straight Citizen: Let’s give credit to Wee when he helps to bring a little bit of balance to the cabinet in its policymaking.
I, however, fear for the long-term future of our beloved Malaysia that seems slowly headed towards an Islamic state, where strict rules are imposed oppressively on others who differ in beliefs and practices.
Anon25: Well done, Wee. Just when I thought the Islamists were taking over, it was a breath of fresh air to see your announcement.
It is amazing that the finance minister responded so quickly, even though he had to be in Singapore.
I don't drink or buy numbers. But I support those who wish to do so. Standing up for people like this is good for the MCA.
Ferdtan: "Being a member of the state licensing board, the Customs Department has no power to unilaterally instruct restaurants and coffee shops to apply for liquor licences," said Wee.
So Mr Minister, you just leave it at that? Why are the top Customs officials, including the Customs director-general, not reprimanded for their alleged abuse of power?
Sack them if it was found that it was politically motivated and not in accordance with the laws, an act to which no civil servant has the right.
OCT: There are always little Napoleons who are going out to spoil the fun.
It is hard to believe that the decision lies with the finance minister but somehow, the Customs Department decides that it can impose licence requirements for beer to be sold at coffee shops and restaurants.
Someone somewhere somehow wants to make life difficult for non-Malays to do business. It is difficult to understand how the finance minister was not informed about the licence requirements by Customs when the big issue cropped up.
Was someone sleeping on the job as usual? The minister has to be notified by another division before he decides to cancel the licence requirements.
An issue like this could have been resolved swiftly if the Finance Ministry staff had read the newspaper and online news. A big fire had started, but no one noticed it. Everyone "buat tak tahu" as usual.
This is the type of government the rakyat voted for. Such a sad case.
Greentiger0580: This is so typical of the BN tradition. One idiot would say ban this and ban that. After it stirs up public anger, another smart alec would come out and say he worked hard to stop the ban.
They then declare a big achievement for taking care of the public. Now the Perikatan Nasional government is copying BN's dirty tricks.
Sun: Wow, a great victory for Wee and MCA. Congratulations.
Now can you do something more substantial by increasing the help doled out to small and medium enterprises fighting to survive?
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