Don't be champion of lottery fans, PAS warns Gerakan

PAS has sternly warned its Perikatan Nasional component partner Gerakan on the gambling ban issue in Kedah.

Its information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said there is no need for Gerakan to be the champion of lottery fans as it does not benefit the party.

“Gerakan does not need to be the champion defending the group of lottery enthusiasts.

“You will not get additional votes in behaving like this,” he said in a statement on Facebook yesterday which included an image of a Gerakan leader expressing his views on the matter.

This comes after Gerakan deputy president Oh Tong Keong said he does not encourage people to gamble but opposes any move to “usurp” the people’s right to engage in such activities.

“The Kedah government should respect the decision of the High Court to reinstate gambling outlets,” he added.

On July 9, it was reported that several gambling outlets succeeded in their legal action to reverse the Kedah government’s move to ban them in the state.

The Alor Setar High Court on June 20 allowed the operators’ six judicial review applications targeting the state administration’s decision.

However, the state government has since applied for a stay of execution on the ruling, pending an appeal to the Court of Appeal.

‘Not everyone likes gambling’

Kedah banned gambling outlets from operating in the state since January 2023, with Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor saying the move was to deal with social problems caused by gambling, such as the collapse of family institutions.

In a statement yesterday, Sanusi warned that those involved in quashing the state government’s ban on licensed gambling, will have to answer to God and he had done his best in his duty to follow God’s commands by banning gambling activities.

In continuing PAS’ “advice” to Gerakan, Fadhli said gambling is not something all non-Muslims favour.

“The truth is that not all non-Muslim friends like this activity (gambling),” he said.

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