From Kelantan in the north to the administrative capital of Putrajaya, PAS Youth will be mobilising more of its members to protest against the government’s move to issue football betting licences to Berjaya Group.

NONE Its chief Nasrudin Hassan said the wing will start by mobilising 5,000 of its members demonstrate at the village of Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussein - whose ministry issued the licence to Berjaya subsidiary Ascot Sports ten days ago - at Masjid Kampung Repek in Bachok, Kelantan, on May 28.

 

“We expect about 5,000 to participate (in the demonstration).

"Because this is a protest by the people of the east coast, we will also have with us people from Terengganu dan Pahang,” Nasrudin told a press conference at PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur earlier today.

PAS held ‘warm-up’ demonstrations in Penang, Perak, Selangor, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan yesterday.

According to Nasrudin, protests will also be held in Malacca, Pahang, Perlis in addition to the holding of another demonstration in Selangor on May 28.

The peak of the campaign against football betting, however, will occur on July 3, when the wing hopes to gather 100,000 for a demonstration that will culminate in the submission of a memorandum on the matter to the King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

“Although the Fifa World Cup (in South Africa) will end on July 11, our goal is that the football betting licensing will not also involve the English League, the (Spanish) La Liga, the (Italian) Sirie A and the (German) Bundes Liga,” said Nasrudin.

He said further that PAS Youth will only inform the police of its intentions to demonstrate rather than waiting for the latter to issue the wing permits for its gatherings.

“We are set on this, because this (issue of gambling) is wickedness,’ he added.

lingam tape hearing 300108 vincent tan 02 Berjaya - owned by tychoon Vincent Tan ( right ) - had earlier sought licensing from the government to operate sports gambling operations.

Berjaya was first issued a betting license by then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1987. But this was surrendered in 1990 after Berjaya found the operation not lucrative enough.

Berjaya was reissued the licence in 2003, but it was not allowed to operate by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who took over from Mahathir in late 2003.

With Najib Abdul Razak at the helm as prime minister, Berjaya was finally given the green light.