KUALA LUMPUR: Nothing less than a mandatory jail sentence should be imposed on those found guilty of selling smuggled or adulterated alcohol, says the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF)
MCPF senior vice-chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, said existing laws should also be amended to curb alcohol sale as alcohol outlets are mushrooming and operating with little monitoring by the authorities.
“I believe that the lack of control of alcohol sales has led to the latest methanol poisoning cases since it has been reported that many shops are still selling cheap smuggled or adulterated alcohol.
“Stern and holistic action must be taken to stop methanol poisoning cases which are mainly caused by cheap or adulterated alcohol,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
From Sept 15 to Saturday, a total of 86 methanol poisoning cases were reported to the Health Ministry (MoH) from its treatment facilities. A total of 29 fatalities were recorded within the same period.
Lee said he was baffled as to why some liquor sold in Malaysia contains methanol that exceeds the permitted level, as shown by the ministry’s analysis.
“In addition, the products also did not follow labelling requirements under the Food Regulations 1985, under the Food Act, such as the absence of the name and address of the manufacturer, importer or agent.
“It is also a worrying trend when studies show that those earning less than RM3,000 and those living in the rural areas in Malaysia tend to spend more of their income on alcohol than the general urban population in 2016.
“Of those in the general population who consume alcohol, the youngest age group detected was between 13 and 14 years-old,” he said.
According to a 2016 report, Malaysians also spent more than RM2 billion on alcohol annually, making it the 10th largest consumer in the world.
He also hopes the relevant authorities, especially the Customs Department, police and local councils, could conduct more frequent checks on all premises selling alcoholic beverages and track down shops selling illicit liquor.
“With the help from the Health Department and Chemistry Department, random samples should also be taken and analysed to determine whether the liquor have been adulterated or contain high levels of methanol.
“At the same time, all Malaysians should discard their lackadaisical attitude and help the authorities address the problems related to excessive alcohol consumption that has caused family problems, failing grades among students, road accidents and fights,” he said,
The World Health Organisation states that over consumption or overexposure to methanol can permanently damage the human nervous system and sight. Exposure to methanol at just 300 to 1,000 ppm (0.03 to 0.1 per cent) can result in coma and death.