Malang, en.SERU.co.id – The Malang City Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) has raised concerns over the rampant sale of alcoholic beverages in various stores, despite retailers holding Online Single Submission (OSS) permits. The council is urging the Malang City Government to immediately issue a Mayor’s Regulation (Perwal) to provide legal teeth for a local bylaw governing the technical aspects of alcohol regulation.
Member of Commission A of the Malang DPRD, H. Rokhmad SSos, voiced his firm agreement with the call to prohibit alcohol sales. He noted that various community figures, religious leaders, and mass organizations have been pushing for a total ban on alcoholic beverages in the city.
“Ngono yo ngono neng ojo ngono—a Javanese saying meaning ‘you can do that, but don’t go that far’—essentially, we must know our limits. Neighborhood and community heads should not be shocked by residents’ complaints. The sale of alcohol near places of worship is the worst offense,” Rokhmad, known locally as Ustadz Rokhmad, told SERU.co.id.
Rokhmad explained that under Malang City Bylaw No. 4 of 2020, only bars and cafés that sell alcohol for on-site consumption are prohibited. Establishments selling alcohol for off-premise consumption face no such restriction.
“During the deliberation of Bylaw No. 4 of 2020 on Alcoholic Beverage Control, there was a strong push to use the word ‘prohibition’ rather than ‘control’ in the regulation’s title,” he added, reflecting on his time as chair of the special committee that drafted the bylaw.
Throughout the three-month deliberation process, religious leaders and clerics from various organizations repeatedly urged the committee to impose a total ban on alcohol in Malang.
“We gathered kiais and religious scholars from Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, Persis, and other community figures. They insisted the title should read ‘prohibition’,” Rokhmad stressed.
Read Also:
However, the proposal ultimately could not be adopted, as the bylaw must align with higher national legislation that still permits alcohol distribution within certain limits.
“We couldn’t use the word prohibition because higher laws allow it. A regional bylaw cannot contradict national laws,” explained the chair of the Prosperous Justice Party’s (PKS) Malang advisory council.
As a result, the term “prohibition” was struck out and replaced with “control” to ensure the regulation could be ratified and enforced in Malang.
Despite this compromise, the council insisted that oversight of alcohol distribution would still be tightened through the regional regulation. Rokhmad said several technical provisions will be further clarified by a Perwal, which has yet to be published by the city government.
“As people’s representatives, we are calling on the Malang city government—specifically the Legal Affairs Bureau and the Industry and Trade Office as the bylaw’s proponents—to immediately issue this Perwal. The shortcomings and technical implementation of Bylaw No. 4 of 2020 must be spelled out in the Perwal,” he concluded. (rhd)
