SINGAPORE- The Workers' Party supported the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill, said its chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC), but she called for more flexibility as well.
She said there is no need to prohibit the retail sale of alcohol, because the rules to curb public consumption will already address issues related to drinking.
Under the proposed law, drinking will be banned in all public places from 10.30pm to 7am, and retail sale of alcohol is also not allowed beyond 10.30pm.
Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC) added: "The blanket ban covering the retail sale of alcohol up to 10.30pm may be too interventionist and too strong a measure...The Workers' Party proposes that the retail sale of alcohol be allowed to continue as long as an individual does not consume the purchased alcohol in a prospectively disallowed public area."
He also said that more "liberal" liquor consumption regulations should be considered at places away from residential areas, such as East Coast Park.
"It would also obviate the need for permits that add an administrative burden not just for the police but for the public as well," he said.
Mr Yee Jenn Jong, a non-constituency MP, also asked for the ban to be lifted at such places.
"There are public spaces where the consumption of liquor can be permitted without disturbing residents. An example would be in areas popular for barbecues and gatherings such as the Changi Beach, East Coast and West Coast Parks," he said.
