IT IS a real shame when innocent lives are lost due to the irresponsible acts of another, and this is mostly true when it comes to drunk driving.
Prompted by a tragic video where a supposedly drunk driver killed a motorcyclist, netizen Khalish in a post on X said Thailand which is not a muslim-majority country has a stricter alcohol consumption rule compared to Malaysia.
Pergi Thailand, negara bukan majoriti Islam, tengok betapa strict timing jual alcohol.
Malaysia? Lemah. https://t.co/Cd2OPQ7AGV
— Khalish (@KayKhalish) December 15, 2024
The post has since sparked an interesting debate about the neighbouring countries and their respective rules regarding alcohol prohibition.
According to netizen A, it is the same in Auckland where the sale of alcohol is prohibited by 9pm.
“Even at the bars, it is till 3am only. At certain places, alcohol is completely banned but the penalty if caught drunk driving is similar to Malaysia. Too leeway. The most is 10 years of imprisonment, fine, license suspension and that is it,” said A.
Syarol added that Malaysia does implement the timing for selling alcohol. However, the drunk drivers are usually the ones who drink at the bar or event before returning home. “As long as no VIP dies from being hit by a drunk person, there will be no enforcement,” he said.
For a better perspective, several netizens provided further information of the alcohol prohibition rule in Singapore and Thailand for comparison.
THAILAND
SINGAPORE
Skimming through the comments, we elected Powerofx as the winner.
Apparently Malaysians are rather cynical towards the implementation of law and order in Boleh Land where alcohol is considered.
One netizen said that the chiller where the alcohols are kept in speedmart are not even tinted, suggesting that they were trying to encourage people to buy alcohol.
Ajim remarked that change cannot happen as the authorities are cowards and taking taxes from alcohol.
He also tagged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and former minister of religious affair Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri in the comment.
Also, MiRo.𝕏. speculated that if the penalty for drunk driving is jail time, the prison in Malaysia would be out of space. —Dec 16, 2024
Main image: amigul deghaman
