It looks like tourists are driving through Beirut due to drunkards' behavior after clubbing - McElrath

Drunk people urinating, passing out on streets, and fighting are usually the first things tourists see when being transported to their hotels from the Nadi International Airport. This was highlighted by McDonald's Fiji Managing Director Marc McElrath while sharing his views at the consultation for the review of the opening of nightclub hours. McElrath says every day around 4am, drunkards are often scattered along the streets when nightclubs close for business and this does not look good.

He says when he was out on a Friday and Saturday night in Suva there were more than 150 to 160 people in a crowd and it would have been lucky if there were at least 10 police officers because if there was a fight, police would not be able to do a thing.

McElrath further says there are 16 nightclubs in Nadi which is a big number for a small town with 6 police officers and the police are overwhelmed.

He says due to this, McDonald's does not operate their business 24 hours as it is not worth it and they don't want their 300 workers to get hurt or be at risk due to their staff being threatened, punched and the restaurant windows broken. The Managing Director says they have raised this issue with the police numerous times as well.

McElrath calls on authorities to consider the safety of people while reviewing the opening hours for nightclubs as closing at 5am is way too late, affecting our youths.

He says some husbands go to their wives drunk at 5am or 6am when they are supposed to be back at work on weekdays and this becomes hard for them to make to work the next day.

He also says most people are already affected by the impact of the pandemic therefore, when people go to the clubs they end up spending all their money in the clubs. The Managing Director says the nightclub hours must be reduced in certain areas where police cannot control the overwhelming numbers.

Meanwhile, Fiji Police Force Divisional Commander Central, Assistant Superintendent of Police Samisoni Naqica says 31 criminal offences were committed in nightclubs in the Nadi/Namaka and Suva zones compared to 2 in 2021.