Persons found selling alcohol to minors and those who are caught allowing them to be on licensed premises where alcohol is sold will now face stiffer fines, after the passage of the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing (Amendment) Bill 2010 by the National Assembly on Thursday.
The piece of legislation increases the fines from $1,000 to $500,000 for a first time offender, from $3,000 to $1 million for a subsequent offence and in the case of a third offence a fine of $1 million and the revocation of the licence for each of the offences. The bill was piloted through the National Assembly by Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee.
PNCR-1G Shadow Home Affairs Minister Deborah Backer questioned the piecemeal nature of the bill saying that given the serious problem of alcoholism in Guyana, the administration would have been better off doing a review of all the fines in the Principal Act. She suggested that the two areas amended in the bill may have been done so that the country may be in a position where it would meet the qualifications to receive donor funding.
She questioned how many persons were being persecuted under the old legislation and asked what measures would be implemented to ensure that the thousands of drinking spots in the country would be properly monitored. According to her, the bill failed to address the “mischief” behind alcohol abuse in the country.
AFC MP Khemraj Ramjattan echoed the sentiments of Backer and said that “a comprehensive approach” to the problem of alcoholism needed to be developed. He said that there may be some ulterior motives why the government is reluctant to endorse a comprehensive approach.
Commerce Minister Manniram Prashad defended the piecemeal approach of the bill and said that sometimes small steps needed to be taken. The aim of the bill is to protect children from the dangers of alcoholism, he said.
In wrapping up the debate on the bill, Rohee refuted suggestions that the amendments were being implemented to gain donor funding. He said too that the government has been taking measures to address alcoholism including passage of legislation to introduce breathalyzer testing.
