Why are liquor stores closed tomorrow?

Tomorrow, on the Day of Independence, Sri Lankans will be denied the freedom to buy alcoholic drinks because liquor shops have been instructed to remain shut by the Excise Department. There is some merit in closing wine stores on Poya days, as people are expected to remain sober due to the religious significance of such holidays. But why should the Government take away the liberty of boozing on a day like tomorrow when people should celebrate the country gaining independence 76 years ago? 

In other nations, people party to the fullest on their days of Independence and enjoy themselves with wine and dine.

Ironically, wine stores are required to refrain from doing business even on the Sinhala and Tamil New Year Days apart from Christmas Day. Both those occasions are times of festivity and why should bureaucrats stifle the spirit of citizens by imposing restrictions on the sales of spirits? If the idea of closing down liquor shops on such days is to prevent people from consuming alcohol, it would be counterproductive, as alcohol-thirsty folks would stock up the required quantities in advance. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is the time of the year people take long holidays to get a break from their hectic work schedules, and there is every reason for them to unwind with a glass or can of drinks and share joy and happiness with their friends and relatives.

Curiously, liquor stores are prohibited from doing business even on Christmas Day, when people worldwide party and revel with drinks. Such baseless acts may not be practiced by even highly Roman Catholic or Protestant countries. The Catholics living in coastal areas like Negombo, Chilaw, and Moratuwa are party-loving, fun-seeking communities, and the consumption of alcohol is an integral element of their lifestyle and sub-culture. Also, unlike for Muslims and Buddhists, alcohol is not a taboo for Christians; hence, asking them to indulge in teetotalism on a day like Christmas defies any logic.

Drinking is an inherent element within the social fabric of Sri Lanka. The passion of islanders for boozing was in full display during the COVID pandemic when wine stores and supermarkets were closed for months. It is said that some of our beloved citizens even after departing for jobs in the Middle Eastern States, brew moonshine, illustrating the fondness towards inebriety among the populace. All social functions in Sri Lanka, be it weddings, parties, funerals, almsgivings, get-togethers, are not complete without alcohol. In such a backdrop, it is pointless to enforce irrational curbs on liquor sales on festive-related holidays. 

When the country’s tourism industry is recovering, limiting liquor sales on Sundays like tomorrow for no logical reason represents extreme short-sightedness. The widespread availability of both hard and soft liquor is a vital element to the tourism industry. Furthermore, whatever said and done, the contribution of liquor to the national coffers cannot be ignored. When the Government is hard pressed to earn as much money as possible owing to the weak state of public finances, why the authorities are implementing this type of irrational decision is simply unfathomable.

While Sri Lanka is pursuing narrow-minded initiatives with regard to alcohol sales, the international media reported that Saudi Arabia – the highly conservative Muslim theocracy where alcohol has been banned since 1952 – has opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of its capital Riyadh. The move is considered as an initial step in opening up alcohol sales to non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia and ultimately to hotels and other related places. When such conservative societies are evolving and embracing modernity, the time is right for Sri Lanka to eschew the dominant Anagarika Dharmapala ideology and progress towards economic prosperity by transforming in accordance with the dynamics of contemporary civilisation without being inhibited by sectarian and regressive schools of thought.