In the face of objections from both sides of the political divide, newly-appointed Kulim District Officer Dzohir Md Zain has announced the reversal of the liquor ban policy introduced by his predecessor.

azlan According to Sin Chew Daily , Dzohir - who was transferred to Kulim on Dec 20 last year and took up duties on Jan 1 - said he was not aware of the ban which had been approved during a council meeting chaired by his predecessor.

He said he will call a meeting as soon as possible to review the matter and replace the ban with a new policy.

Dzohir stressed that the stance of the state government and local authorities is very clear - to maintain current regulations that prohibit vendors from selling alcohol to Muslim and youths below 18 years old.

Yesterday, several dailies reported that liquor shop owners in Kulim had received letters from the municipal council, stating that their licences would be automatically terminated at the end of June.

This was reportedly in line with the council's policy to make Kulim an 'alcohol free district'.

However, this drew flak from various quarters including MCA and Gerakan which chided the PAS-led state government for attempting to implement Islamic laws in Kedah.

Both Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak and Phahrolrazi Zawawiwer, the state exco in charge of housing and local government, had said they were not aware of the ban.