KUCHING: The issue of drunk driving will be tackled more appropriately and effectively through a soft approach of community education and engagements, said Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil.
He was commenting on the recent call by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) recently to suspend all productions, sales, and businesses of alcoholic beverages until new measures could be implemented to prevent drunk driving.
“A ruling or law of ‘one size fits all’ is neither good nor effective,” said Penguang when contacted by New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
He said that such measures should not be applied across the board.
“We must take into consideration the ethnic, racial, and religious diversity and the sensitivity that it may cause so as not to create any controversies and hence, any social or cultural fallouts,” he said.
He added that it would not be fair to impose such a ruling based solely on a few incidences.
“Any measures that we take must have a strong statistical basis. In other words, what is the incidence rate of such cases?” he said.
Earlier in PAS’ statement, its Information chief Kamaruzaman Mohamad mentioned the weakness of existing law and enforcement as well as the selfishness and stubbornness of the drunkards as reasons behind the issue of drunk drivers.
