JAKARTA, Indonesia — Can Indonesia really ban alcohol completely?
At a bar in the Indonesian capital, Christine, Hassan and Dilta look at each other and burst into laugher. “No, they wouldn’t do that,” they agree. The three of them are drinking Bintang, the ubiquitous local beer that is to some a national icon.
They haven’t heard of the proposed nationwide ban on alcohol, which the parliament has agreed to examine. But they say there is no way it could pass. It’s not the first time small conservative parties have pushed for a full ban on alcohol in this Muslim majority country, and previous attempts have always failed.