KUALA LUMPUR: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shops should not be banned from selling alcohol, says MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic).

“The Selangor state government is duty-bound to explain why they are doing this,” said Dr Wee during a press conference on Thursday.

According to a Chinese news report, TCM shop owners in Petaling District had earlier this month received orders to stop selling alcohol.

Dr Wee went on to question why DAP was staying silent on the matter.

“When the Malacca state government proposed to ban the sale of alcohol at convenience stores, DAP made a big issue over it.

“Why aren’t they saying anything about it now?” he queried.

Dr Wee further noted that TCM shops had been selling alcohol for decades, with the shops’ predominantly Chinese customers using it for health reasons.

“When my grandmother was alive, she would take one small cup of alcohol every day. She was never hospitalised and lived to the age of 89,” he said.

Dr Wee added that the proposed ban would affect the livelihoods of traders.-thestar