For some, drinking is part of cultural celebration

I WOULD like to express my humble opinion on the issue of the Better Beer Festival 2017 which did not get the go-ahead from DBKL and the police. Modelled on the famous Oktoberfest of Munich, Germany, this festival has been held in Kuala Lumpur for the past five years without any untoward incident. The risk of a terror attack was one of the reasons given by the authorities on their decision not to grant a permit for the event.

I drink beer only occasionally. I dislike its bitter taste and I cannot understand how people can drink litres of it in one night. I feel light-headed after drinking a small amount and would fall into a drunken sleep. I think people enjoy the companionship of drinking together, which is similar to drinking teh tarik in a mamak outlet.

I also dislike teh tarik because it makes me restless and causes palpitations, tremors and gastric pain, leading to a sleepless night. But if somebody proposes holding a September fest of teh tarik in KL, I certainly am not going to protest or launch an attack. In fact, I would applaud the cultural diversity of Malaysia.

Culturally, many ethnic groups in Malaysia drink alcohol openly as a sign of celebration. For Chinese, yam seng is a must during wedding receptions and annual dinners on the conclusion of a working year.

Similarly, the harvest festivals of the Iban and Kadazandusun communities usually abound with alcoholic beverages. Often, at the height of these celebrations, the guests of honour are challenged to show the amount of alcohol they can tolerate.

As such, an event like Oktoberfest is actually a harmless cultural celebration.

From the health aspect, drinking small amounts of alcohol has been proven medically to improve coronary circulation and prevent heart attacks. I drink a small amount of wine every night for health reasons and better sleep. Of course, everything in life must be done in moderation.

Alcoholism is usually the result of social problems such as unemployment or lack of opportunities for self-improvement. We must have solid statistics on the burden of alcohol-related problems in the country before talking about its restriction. In fact, drug abuse is more closely related to crime than alcoholism. I quietly pray for the terrorists to change their targets to drug peddlers in Chow Kit, which I think will earn them more respect, and God will reserve a place for them in heaven.

But we must remind those who consume alcohol to drink only in moderation. For alcoholics, we should have rehabilitation programmes. Alcohol does slow down one’s reflexes, and driving under the influence of alcohol is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents.

As for not allowing the beer festival to proceed because of security risks, the powers that be could have just reacted by increasing the level of security as they did during the recent SEA Games.