Clarke Quay ‘loses its vibe’ as new liquor laws kick in: Revellers

SINGAPORE — Today (Apr 3) is the first long weekend since the new liquor laws kicked in. The laws, which restrict public sale and public consumption of alcohol after 10.30pm, took effect from Wednesday.

Most businesses Channel NewsAsia spoke with said it is still early to tell how they will be affected. But some are already feeling the impact.

From the streets of Geylang to watering holes along Robertson Quay, authorities and community organisations have been stepping up efforts to raise public awareness of the new liquor laws. These efforts seem to be paying off so far.

Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef, an MP for Marine Parade GRC, said: “When talking to people on the ground, you notice that most of them have heard (about the new laws). They may not know the exact date of implementation, but they realise that there’s such a thing coming on, and we reminded them.”

Read Bridge at Clarke Quay is a popular drinking spot with youths. When Channel NewsAsia news team visited the place around midnight yesterday, some drinkers chose to ignore the signs about the new liquor laws stuck prominently on lamp posts along the bridge.

Others said the place is a far cry from what it once was. “Clarke Quay - if you mention it, it’s always the bridge. It’s not the clubs down there, but it’s also the bridge. I do miss the vibe,” said one.

“We brought our friends here. They’re visiting Singapore. Why we brought them here? It was to show them Clarke Quay. But then we forgot that it was April 2, and the (new liquor law) has already been passed. So, yeah, we sense the loss - the ‘energy’ is gone,” another woman told Channel NewsAsia.

A Chinese man said that since public consumption of alcohol will be banned after 10.30pm, not many people would gather at Clarke Quay.

At Arab Street, one establishment said its business has already fallen by more than half, with the introduction of the new law. Patrons hope the area’s vibrancy could be maintained.

“I understand that you have experienced... a riot (in Little India) but the new liquor laws kind of make Singapore not as vibrant as we expected,” said a Thai expatriate. A Canadian expatriate said: “The culture that comes to the streets at night, and that’s a lot about bringing the bars into the streets and turning the streets into a public space, that’s kind of been taken away.”

Authorities say the law needs to balance the interests of stakeholders in the vicinity as commercial and entertainment venues share space with residential, religious and other civic organisations.

“You have to look at the whole, the big picture. It’s a balanced approach, really, and it is looking at all the needs of the stakeholders in the vicinity. So this is not just a commercial area, or an entertainment area. We’ve got institutions, we’ve got more than 100 religious organisations, civic organisations and clan associations,” said Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef. CHANNEL NEWSASIA