If the new Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill tabled in Parliament on Jan. 19, 2015 is eventually passed, the consumption of alcohol between 10.30pm to 7am in public places could soon be banned.

In the proposed Bill, people found guilty of drinking after 10.30pm in a public place will face a fine of up to $1,000. A repeat offender will not just face the possibility of a fine of up to $2,000, but also a jail-term of up to three months.

Retail shops across the island will also not be allowed to sell liquor for takeaway from 10.30pm.

A licensee who sells alcohol beyond trading hours stipulated in its licence may be liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

1. What are the majority of reactions from people in Singapore?

This proposed Bill has come as a shock, to say the least, to many people residing in Singapore.

Why is that so could be due to several reasons.

For one, there wasn't any curtain raiser in terms of media coverage about anything remotely related to this proposed Bill being tabled in Parliament in the last few weeks before Jan. 19.

Second Minister for Home Affairs S Iswaran could have informed the public on his social media platforms, especially in the context of the one year anniversary of the Little India riot last year.

He could have done an interview with the media to pre-empt the public because this legislation has nation-wide implications. Many more Singaporeans drink alcohol than smoke shisha.

This might have alerted the public about what is eventually to come.

But unlike the banning of shisha where there was absolutely no public consultation, this perceived lack of consultation with the public-at-large on alcohol restrictions is not necessarily a fact.

At least two public consultations had been carried out in late-2013 and mid-2014, where Singaporeans agreed to restrictions to limit the sale and consumption of alcohol in public, but were most likely ignored by those feeling indignant now and who did not speak up then. In fact, MHA also conducted discussions with about 180 stake-holders including members of the public.

Hence, the most vocal reactions online have ranged from feeling outraged to being blindsided to sheer incredulity to resignation to fate. And a sense that this piece of legislation is being jammed down people's throats.

Singaporeans on social media have been very vocal, calling this measure drastic, a killjoy, regressive and excessive.

A closer reading of some of these reactions will reveal one train of thought: Singapore's authorities are seen as behaving hypocritically. This is because while Singapore is very good at explaining why we do not adopt Western values like freedom of speech and a free press, we readily adopt their laws that restrict choices and liberties of individuals.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had apparently studied liquor control measures in cities in Australia, the US and Britain, and found that most of the liquor rules on public drinking and the sale of alcohol in those places are more restrictive than the ones it has proposed for Singapore.

So, Singapore just had to keep up with those rules.

2. Who will it affect the most?

The proposed Bill to ban alcohol in public will directly affect those who cannot afford to drink in proper establishments, such as bars and pubs, and who rely on common public spaces for their downtime.

The fact is that the ones most affected are foreign workers who will not be able to drink as openly as before in public spaces.

The drinking culture in areas such as Clarke Quay and Boat Quay will also be altered, which means the younger generation and those in the zeitgeist will have to find alternative arrangements soon.

It remains to be seen if this will directly translate to better business for proper establishments in areas that formerly experienced higher concentrations of public drinking.

3. What are the concerns?

Some of the proposed penalties are certainly seen as being overly harsh:

Under the proposed legislation in the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill, those found to be consuming alcohol in a public place during the prescribed no-public drinking period of 10:30pm to 7am, could face fines and jail time.

First-time offenders could be fined up to $1,000, and repeat offenders risk paying a maxium of $2,000 or imprisonment of up to three months, or both.

If a person is found trespassing or appearing in a public place while drunk and causing annoyance to another, he could face slightly stiffer penalties: a fine of up to $1,000 or jail time of up to six months, or both.

And the law to strip search suspects appears unnecessarily excessive as it bestows too much power on the enforcers:

Police officers and an approved person can request for personal information and conduct inspections of a person's property, including seeking the removal of one or more garments, to look for containers of liquor. Those who fail to comply with such requests and inspections could be fined up to $2,500 or jailed up to three months, or both.

And then there is also the problem of enforcement.

How can enforcement be carried out effectively and adequately island-wide? Will resources used for enforcement be evenly distributed? Or will certain areas experience more heavy-handed tactics from the authorities?

For example, will the vicinity of Little India see more enforcement? How is this going to appear to the public? Does it look a tad racist? Probably?

And what are the effects of such prohibition on youths? Will a public ban push drinking underground? Will it cause alcohol consumption to escalate as a result of it being a forbidden fruit?

How can the authorities measure these kinds of consumption patterns over the long haul?

4. What are some of the grey areas?

What if you were drinking in the confines of your car while being driven on a public road?

What if you were drinking on the porch at a chalet?

What if you were drinking in your condominium swimming pool?

What if you were drinking on board a plane that had entered Singapore air space past 10.30pm?

What if you were eating rum and raisin ice cream on the street?

Related article:

Alcohol sales and consumption will soon be restricted, Singaporeans get to decide how

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