Perlis puts an end to gambling, won't renew licences

The Perikatan Nasional government in Perlis will not renew the licence of gambling premises in the state beyond the end of the current period of operations.

According to a report by Harakah Daily, there are currently six gambling premises in Perlis and they will not be permitted to operate beyond the expiry of the current license period, which is March 2024.

State Housing and Local Government Committee chairperson Fakhrul Anwar Ismail said that after the period ends, no gambling premises operators will be granted operating licence approval.

According to him, the decision is in line with the stance of the PN coalition, which is dominated by PAS and Bersatu, to stop gambling activities after taking over the administration of the state government.

"I would like to emphasise that the state government's efforts to stop gambling premises licences have been consistent since the beginning, as stated by Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli during the previous state legislative assembly session," he told a press conference yesterday.

Fakhrul also said the action was not taken drastically, instead, he had taken a soft approach based on the licence expiry date.

He added that the Kangar Municipal Council had given a verbal briefing and issued a notification letter to the entrepreneurs involved.

"We take a soft approach to ensure that the businesspersons involved are not taken by surprise," he said.

Pakatan Harapan’s representative Gan Ay Ling (Indera Kayangan) reportedly claimed the state government no longer renews gambling premises licences without any announcement.

Fakhrul said the issue of closing gambling premises is not surprising or a new thing - and it has been implemented in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah - all of which are helmed by PAS.

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