Indonesia at odds over proposed alcohol ban

Indonesia's largest Islam-centered party has revived its call for an all-out booze ban in Indonesia to "save the next generation," the Jakarta Globe reports.

Muslim-majority Indonesia goes through periodic bouts of hand wringing over its alcohol laws — basically, you can buy beer almost anywhere and acquire booze in clubs and restaurants — and this proposal will likely fall flat as have similar drives in the past.

A total crackdown on booze would prove disastrous on Hindu-majority Bali's tourism economy and encounter corporate pushback from well-connected breweries. And it would likely drive more people to drink black-market booze, which sporadically makes the news after a bad batch leaves multiple people dead. 

That said, Indonesia's home affairs ministry doesn't feel comfortable dismissing the idea outright. "As an aspiration, of course, it will be seriously considered and we respect that," the home affairs ministry told the Jakarta Globe.