COMMENT | Rehab gambling addicts, not ban 4D shops

COMMENT | PAS leaders like to score political points by banning four-digit betting (4D) shops – but it won't stop illegal or online gambling.

If the “holy men” really care about people, they should rehabilitate gambling addicts – of all races – to cure the roots of the problem.

The best example of why blunt bans fail is Kelantan itself. In the early 1990s, 4D shops were shut down by the PAS state government. But some 20 years later, in 2011, the media exposed that gambling and prostitution were still going on there.

The then menteri besar, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, blamed this on lax enforcement by local government officers.

With smartphones nowadays, the problem has become worse. A 14-year-old schoolgirl racked up RM300,000 in debt after getting addicted to illegal online gambling, said Gambler Rehab Centre head Bryant Leong in 2023.

In May this year, it was revealed that nearly 200,000 children in Indonesia have been exposed to online gambling, 80,000 of those were under 10!

Jakarta keeps shutting down illegal betting websites, but online advertisements on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube keep tempting people.

Addiction the real problem

Many non-Muslims have no problem with the occasional bet on Liverpool vs Arsenal or a beer at pubs. The real problem is addiction, the loss of self-control.

That applies also to those hooked on sugar, who then end up with diabetes, amputated legs or heart attacks. Or those who can’t stop watching porn. Or indulging in the “dosa besar” (major sin) of compulsive lying (fitnah).

Rather than 4D, even worse are those addicted to the 4Rs – rempit, rasuah, rokok and rogol (reckless motorcyclists, bribery, smoking and rape).

Rempits are fixated on the adrenaline of speed and danger, while some are obsessed with the easy money of corruption.

They can’t seem to kick these habits. The worst are those who repeatedly rape their own daughters, there’s a special place in hell for them.

So why focus only on non-Malays' recreation? As long as they are not addicted to gambling or drinking, PAS should just butt out of trying to force their Islamic values on others.

But if they are harming themselves or their families, then Kedah should show the compassionate face of Islam. Do the hard work of running rehabilitation programmes if they really care about people.

Nobody will object to that. What non-Malays dislike is the arrogant ketuanan (supremacy) attitude of trying to control and demonise them.

PAS should also focus on solving the many other addictions among Muslims, whom they claim to “defend”.

Sanusi showman stunt

Kedah’s refusal to renew 4D shop business licences was unconstitutional because it encroached on federal powers, so the Federal Court decided on Aug 12.

Instead of respecting the decision of the nation’s highest court, Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Nor turned it into political theatre, saying that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would be “cursed” if he, in his capacity as finance minister, didn’t ban gambling nationwide.

He also urged Muslims to “pray for their stomachs to burst,” referring to the “tauke” (tycoons) allegedly behind the legal challenge on Kedah’s attempt to close down 4D shops.

What he meant was that their greed would lead them to “makan” (eat) so much money that their abdomens would explode. But it’s funny, what about crooks who are alleged to have “makan” so much of Tabung Haji money through dodgy deals?

What about Najib Abdul Razak, who has been convicted of mega corruption? Will PAS also pray that their stomachs will burst? Or is greed only a sin of non-Malays?

Ah, but of course PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang recently proclaimed that Muslims are less prone to corruption due to their faith, while alleging that non-Muslims dominate corruption activities.

Ramkarpal to teach Muslims?

But hold on, Muslims are not allowed to buy 4D anyway. So why ban those shops?

Is it just to win votes among those who refuse to respect that non-Malays are allowed to gamble? Has Malaysia become an Islamic state like Afghanistan?

That’s why DAP MP Ramkarpal Singh urged Sanusi to focus on discouraging Muslims from gambling, rather than trying to circumvent the highest court’s ruling. This is a perfectly reasonable suggestion.

But of course Sanusi, the circus ringmaster, never wastes a chance to pull off another clown stunt. His followers adore him for it.

Instead of humbly admitting that PAS needed to do more work to teach Muslims not to bet, he sarcastically “invited” Ramkarpal to give a talk or ceramah to Muslims on why they should not gamble.

Perhaps the DAP MP should actually take up this “challenge” and prove he can do better educational work than Sanusi. But then PAS will claim he is “insulting Islam”, how dare a non-Muslim teach such noble values.

Illegal gambling syndicates

But let’s leave aside the political melodrama. As mentioned earlier, occasional betting is fine.

I was once given a hotel room in Muar with the same number as my car. This was a “sign”, and sure enough, my 4D bet won a consolation prize.

But gambling addiction is a serious problem among all races. I knew a Malay guy who was always in debt because he lost money at the “mesin kuda” (horse racing machines) shops.

You could easily spot them with their heavily tinted glass and a watchman outside. It was amazing how these shops were allowed to operate, as if the police could not detect them.

Banning legal 4D shops was futile because there were always “runners” for huge illegal betting syndicates that offered better prizes. It only meant that the government lost out on collecting gaming taxes.

Most Chinese know where to find these people. My friend from a small town told me the story of how an illegal 4D agent managed to escape after getting a tip-off before a police raid.

Then the syndicate placed a “professional jailbird” in the agent’s premises, so that the police had “somebody” to catch – and release after a decent interval.

The problem was so serious that on May 15, 2023, then Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay threatened district police chiefs with stern action if they failed to clamp down on illegal gambling.

Rehab crucial

The problem is even worse now with online betting. There are no shops to close down, no runners to lock up, and no political points to score.

Some 4.4 percent of Malaysians engage in high-severity problem gambling, and another 10.2 percent in moderate-severity gambling, as reported in 2024.

This significantly disrupts and damages family, personal, emotional or financial well-being.

DAP should thus take the lead to organise campaigns to discourage gambling addiction.

There is a Chinese saying that of the four vices of drinking, smoking, womanising and gambling, the last one is the worst as it’s a bottomless pit with no limits.

Studies indicate that one main factor is impulsive behaviour, the tendency to act on a whim without thinking of the consequences.

Obviously, this applies not only to gambling, but also to rempit activities, drugs, and compulsive sexual acts.

Instead of cursing other people, everyone should join hands to find better ways to rehabilitate those with different addictions. This is much harder work than shouting slogans, but it’s far more important.

Please stop the cheap stunts to win votes and get down to the serious job of helping those who are struggling silently with their problems.

ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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