“It has been lifted immediately,” golf club member Shanker Ramachandran told FMT.

The EGM was chaired by the club’s deputy president, Razali Ab Malik, who is Negeri Sembilan state secretary.

Shanker, who was at the meeting, said the club had served beer prior to August last year. However, a ban came into effect last August after Aminuddin Harun took office.

The state government owns the 18-hole golf course, but the 1,500 members own the clubhouse and other sports facilities. Club members are mostly civil servants, pensioners and private sector employees.

Since 1991, the menteri besar and the state secretary have automatically been elected as president and deputy president. The menteri besar also appoints the secretary, treasurer, club captain and five committee members.

Shankar said the decision to stop beer sales was not only unilateral but also against the club’s constitution.

The decision went against the club’s 63-year practice of selling and serving beer and also against the will of the majority of the members.

Shankar and 43 other members had requisitioned the EGM.

He cited Article 4.11 of the club’s constitution which allows it to buy, acquire, supply, sell and deal in all consumer goods, including golf and other sports equipment, liquor, food and refreshments as required by members.

The matter was raised at the club’s annual general meeting in October, and the committee had promised to look into it but nothing had happened since, Shankar said.