PKR man says beer festival should have been banned from the start

(MMO) – Beer festivals in Malaysia should not be approved and the latest event—the Better Beer Festival 2017 — should have been thwarted from the very beginning, a PKR leader said today.

Amidi Abdul Manan, deputy chairman of PKR’s religious strengthening and understanding bureau (Bippa or Biro Pemahaman dan Pemantapan Agama), said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) should not have waited until the event was opposed to call it off.

He said there were many cases of violence at each Oktorberfest beer festival in Germany and praised DBKL for the move.

“If the festival goes on, the police and DBKL officers will have to work overtime just to ensure the safety of the public,” he said in a statement.

He claimed that in 2015, the police in Munich, Germany, had to be called in 2,017 times to address 1,191 criminal cases involving public safety.

Amidi also claimed that 638 people passed out in 2013 from excessive alcohol consumption.

“Although in KL, the number of partygoers would not reach millions as what we would see in Germany, the aspect of safety cannot be compromised,” he added.

According to the Oktoberfest International Guide, there were 6.4 million visitors and 449 cases of violent assaults, 99 serious injuries, 58 brawls involving beer glasses, two cases of rape and 16 sexual offences.

DBKL rejected an application from Mybeer (M) Sdn Bhd to organise the Better Beer Festival 2017 scheduled next month at a shopping centre, following objections from Islamist party PAS who claimed the event encouraged immorality.

The police then claimed the beer festival had to be cancelled because it could be a target for militants. MCA also claimed the event was banned for security, not religious reasons.

The craft beer event had previously been held in Malaysia annually for the past five years since 2012.