Questions asked as new local beer goes on sale in Malaysia

A new, locally brewed beer has suddenly appeared on Malaysian shelves, a surprising development in a nation where Islamic-influenced policies have been holding increasing sway.

The Royal Malaysian Customs, which oversees production and taxation of alcoholic beverages confirmed yesterday that Napex Corporation, a small company owned by two Chinese businessmen, had a valid licence to manufacture and market the beer.

'We ourselves are surprised,' said a senior finance ministry official who declined to be named. 'This decision must have come from the very top.'

The new beer, called Jaz, is about 20 per cent cheaper than locally brewed brands sold by the two other brewers in the country, Carlsberg and Guinness Anchor.

The department said the licence was issued in 2004. This only added to the mystery because Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi came into power in 2004 and in 2005 announced that no new brewery licences would be issued, delighting Muslim conservatives. No mention was made at the time of any pending licences.

Although the mainstream media failed to note the appearance of Jaz, Muslim websites and blogs are asking awkward questions about how a new licence was issued.

'I hope the government does not give the same old answers ... this is clearly haram [forbidden] in Islam,' said Mahfuz Omar, a senior leader with the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS).