A second public consultation is underway to gather feedback from Singaporeans on how (not whether) the restriction of alcohol sales and consumption can be carried out here. You can take part in the feedback gathering exercise on the REACH portal which ends on 31 July 2014.

The first reaction for some is probably to lament that the Government has unilaterally decided to restrict alcohol consumption without consulting Singaporeans first.

Actually, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) did ask for feedback on this. In an earlier consultation held from October to December in 2013, MHA gathered feedback on designating no-alcohol zones at public places, and shortening of sale hours of alcohol at retail outlets. A majority of the Singaporeans who responded to the public consultation agreed with the two measures.

So there you have it, the people have spoken and agreed. Now, it is not a question of whether there will be a restriction, but how will that restriction be implemented.

Little India as a test bed

The Little India Riot took place on 8 December 2013, at the tail-end of the first consultation. Little India is currently under Moulmein-Kallang GRC and two of the GRC's MPs are Denise Phua and Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew. News reports have highlighted that they have been trying to reduce the number of liquor license in the area.

Minister Lui also noted that "it was quite evident that alcohol could have been a contributory factor" to the Little India Riot. Some observers felt that blaming alcohol was a "knee-jerk reaction" and the cause of the riot may have been something else.

Nevertheless, a restriction on the sale and consumption of alcohol was put in place in Little India for six months starting from December 2013.

During the weekend of 14 December 2013, authorities put a blanket ban on all the sales and consumption of alcohol in demarcated areas in Little India.

Following that on 18 December 2013, the restrictions were modified for alcohol consumption around demarcated areas to be banned from 6am on Saturdays and end at 6am on Mondays. The ban on alcohol sales was also lifted for shops holding public house and beer house licenses. They are allowed to sell the various types of alcohol as permitted by their respective licenses, but consumption must be within their premises.

The two iterations of restriction of alcohol sales and consumption in Little India provided a test case for the Singapore Police Force in managing and enforcing such a restriction. Several arrests were made for the consumption and sales of alcohol during the restriction.

On the business side of things, several business-owners in Little India have lamented the loss in income. Unfortunately for the business-owners in Little India, and soon other alcohol-selling businesses, Singaporeans in the first public consultation have decided that there should be restrictions on alcohol sales and consumption.

Do Singaporeans have the power to shape this restriction? 

Cynics will say that the Government has already decided on how they want to carry out this restriction. I'm of the opinion that they have no idea how they want to do this, actually.

For the second consultation the MHA has shared how other countries/cities have implemented their own forms of alcohol restriction. They put these practices on the table to encourage Singaporeans to provide feedback on them.

If the MHA had a preferred mode of restriction on alcohol, this second public consultation would be pointless, especially after the Little India 'test bed' where they explored two methods.

So far MHA has two suggested ways to restrict alcohol, either by restricting public consumption (at certain times or at certain places) or shortening the sales hours at retail outlets. Perhaps this consultation could be a good way to crowdsource more innovative and effective solutions.

Can Singaporeans say that they do not want any restriction put in place? I'm afraid not. That die has already been cast in the first consultation. What they can have is a say in how they would want to shape this.

I certainly hope that people with strong opinions can come out and voice them while the consultation is taking place, and not lament after 31 July 2014.

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