vox populi small thumbnail ‘Consumption of small amount will not get people intoxicated but abuse in term of excessive intakes cause drunkards and drunk driving pose a danger hazard to public.’

Khris: I think some people cannot see the wood for the trees. The main issue is prevention of abuse of alcohol. Pro-ban activists will list all the alcohol-related harms but hardly anybody highlight the usefulness like alcohol being used as antiseptic in hospitals.

Consumption of small amount will not get people intoxicated but abuse in term of excessive intakes cause drunkards and drunk driving pose a danger hazard to public. This is akin to substance abuse like petrol/glue sniffing as stimulant. Therefore I support control on the sale especially to minors.

Regarding the comment by Jeg Hui who blamed 'incest incidents' to under alcohol influence, I am not so sure there is a positive correlation between them. Maybe I suggest he should do a little research in some conservative Malay-majority states. Bear in mind, there is no drinking culture there.

Ong: Beer and stout are allowed by law to be sold without a specific licence issued by Jabatan Kastam dan Eksais. Whatever guidelines issued by the state government are only legally enforceable if they are in accordance with the law. Therefore, Selangor government's issue of guidelines is an exercise in futility. If the central government amends the relevant law so that the sale of beer, stout and other similar alcoholic drinks require a specific licence, the problem is solved.

Will the state government next issue guidelines on sale of cigarettes and food and beverages with high salt, sugar or calorie content to please groups out to prevent cancer, hypertension, diabetes and obesity?

I believe the council officers who confiscated beer from the 7-11 outlet are aware that their action was illegal and suspect that their motive was to sabotage and destabilise the Pakatan Rakyat state government. Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim better get rid of the saboteurs before they help bring down his government.

Keh Poh:

I take my hats off to Selangor MB when he said that "our aim is not to infringe on the cultural rights and beliefs of the non-Muslims" - this can only come from a matured leader and someone who does not think and speak with racial undertone.

You will earn more respect and admiration from others when you are clearly the majority but choose not to exercise your "rights" in spite of your advantage. It's time for all Malaysian to grow up and allow our minds to rule in this country instead of "numbers" to dictates things.

On Mahathir: Censor porn, not political views

G Krishnan: Porn has to be one of the most profitable industries in the world. Although I have no way of knowing, I can just imagine how lucrative it must be – and how threatening it seems to be to many of the self-righteous type who find it perfectly convenient to curtail and gag other people’s rights.

Whether it is porn, beer, civil liberties, provocative books, these people are perfectly at ease with assuming they know what’s best for others and that individuals are incapable of making their own decisions and living their lives in ways they deem best – even if this does not do harm to others and to society.

I don’t know about you but I for one have become so tired of Mahathir. After having to put up with his sickening antics for 22 years as PM, I am now finding him more pathetic than ever. As much as I am all for free speech and as much as I vigorously and repeatedly defend this cornerstone of democracy, there are some days when I truly feel like perhaps some exceptions should be made, and these exceptions typically relate to Mahathir.

I have to admit I do on occasion catch myself thinking - wouldn’t it be wonderful if rather than censoring genuine ideas or even such less than universally socially redeeming things like porn, the government could just censor Mahathir instead. Now that would be real progress.

On Ambivalent Tiong sidesteps Raja Petra's claims

James Loo: Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing said that he ran a private jet charter business. That being the case, the issue of whether MCA boss Ong Tee Keat had used the jet or otherwise did not arise.

If I may cite a personal example, I know of a doctor near my place who is also an MCA member. I may not like the party much, but he is good at his work. His medicine does wonders to my regular cough and cold, compared with other doctors nearby. In other words, when I go see the doctor, I set aside our ideological differences. To me and him, it's business as usual.

In any case, I do not believe Ong had anything to do with Tiong. If indeed Ong had gained from the dealings involving Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, which is controlled by Tiong, the transport minister would make ensure that Tiong's interests were well-preserved. But Ong had made public the Pricewaterhousecoopers report - an act which had hit Tiong's raw nerve.

I therefore find it ridiculous the insinuation that Ong had made personal gains from Tiong's activities. Besides, by the time Ong took office in March 2008, Kuala Dimensi had already sold the land and completed development works of the project - the controversial dealings which Kuala Dimensi allegedly made tonnes of money from. Therefore, I find Raja Petra Kamarudin's so-called "revelations" about the use of private jet highly mischievous.