Alcohol in Indonesia: Beer Available again in Jakarta's Minimarts?

However, the ban (stipulated by Trade Regulation No. 06/M-DAG/PER/1/2015 on the Control and Supervision of Procurement, Distribution, and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages) remains in place in all other parts of the country, Indonesian Trade Minister Thomas Lembong confirmed. In April 2015 the Indonesian government implemented the ban on sales of alcoholic beverages in all minimarkets and kiosks. As these small retailers have mushroomed across Indonesia's urban regions, it had become very easy - including for schoolchildren - to purchase a light alcoholic beverage. However, in the larger (and licensed) supermarkets and hypermarkets alcoholic drinks remained available. However, the number of these larger supermarkets is limited, hence it became much more difficult to purchase alcoholic beverages or - if consumed in restaurants, hotels or cafes - it became much more expensive.

Obviously, the nation's beer brewers such as Multi Bintang Indonesia and Delta Djakarta objected to the ban as it would limit companies' sales of light alcoholic drinks. Therefore, they started to adjust their corporate strategies and started to focus more on alcohol-free beer.

In the predominantly Muslim country consumption of alcohol is generally regarded a negative matter (in Islamic doctrine the consumption of intoxicants, which includes alcohol, is basically forbidden, or haram). However, consumption of beer had actually risen in the years prior to the ban, particularly in the urban areas (increasingly becoming part of the modern urban lifestyle). This is also possible because there are millions of nominal Muslims in Indonesia (who do not strictly follow Islamic principles).

If beer will indeed return in the shelves of the minimarts across Jakarta, then it would be a major setback for the beer delivery service. Several creative youngsters opened beer delivery services after the ban on sales of alcohol in minimarts was implemented in April 2015. These delivery services, engaging in deals with local beer distributors, bring beer and other alcoholic drinks to the consumer either by using their own means of transportation (usually a motorcycle) or - if the service does not have a fleet of motorcycles - it uses the service provided by Go-Jek, a motorcycle taxi ordered through an online application on the smartphone.

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Lex McGuir | 28 May 2016 16:23

If 80% agree what should be done to the ass holes who enacted the law? Indonesia's economy is down because people do not seem to care when the government drives down business and destroys companies and nationalizes industries (which drives investment out of Indonesia). The Indonesian people should start to punish those who hold Indonesia's prosperity down.

lugano | 31 May 2016 22:03

Remember the Clinton Slogan 1992: ' It's the Economy, Stupid! '.
(Presendential Debate with George HW Bush)

Misja Alexander | 01 June 2016 08:36

I don't understand why Indonesia always has these (short-term) flip-flop policies: alcohol banned in Jakarta's minimarkets -> one year later allowed again (despite local companies already having invested in alcohol-free beer etc. to adjust to the ban) ..... beef imports cut short to boost domestic production (causing high inflation) -> then widened again cause the policy failed .... and I will not even mention the flip flops in the mining sector here.... this ain't a good environment for investors, when will the government finally start to understand this?

lugano | 01 June 2016 10:13

.. in practice (politics): no strict separation between church / religion and state (Voltaire) - how do you keep together a melting pot of peoples, cultures and religions: flip-flop strategy / culture; but in the long run: ' It's the Economy, .. ! '