No booze in Bali?

No booze in Bali?
By Hannah Edensor


Indonesia has introduced a ban on small retailers selling most alcoholic drinks despite opposition from the industry and in tourism hotspots.

It’s the latest move to curb drinking in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

The ban restricts the sale of beer and pre-mixed drinks, such as spirits with soft drinks, to large supermarkets only, outlawing sales in the country’s 16,000 minimarts and 55,000 other small shops.

Hotels, restaurants and bars are unaffected.

There had been particular anxiety about how the ban might affect tourism on the Hindu-majority resort island of Bali.

But Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel – who was shouted at during an ill-tempered meeting with community leaders in Bali last weekend – has pledged to ease the restrictions on the island to ensure street vendors can still sell beer at the beach.

The national ban is the latest sign that conservative forces in the country of 250 million people are pushing back against growing alcohol consumption, and comes the same week that Islamic parties proposed a total ban on drinking.

Indonesians are among the lowest consumers of alcohol per capita in Southeast Asia – more than 90 per cent of the population describe themselves as Muslim, and drinking is against Islamic law.

But alcohol is widely available in bigger cities and tourist areas, and industry data shows beer sales have been growing annually by roughly five per cent.

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