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Key Highlights
Take a gamble on PAS
Passport barrier
Questions remain over Rocky’s death
Take a gamble on PAS
PAS is turning the Kedah government’s defeat in court into an election pitch, urging Muslim voters to put the Islamist party in federal power if they want gambling eradicated.
Its ulama council said the Federal Court ruling showed that state governments lack the power to impose blanket bans on gambling licences, leaving the matter to federal laws.
The council’s information chief Nor Hamzah went further, saying voting for PAS could be considered “mandatory” for Muslims for this purpose, citing a fiqh principle.
"On this matter, voting is no longer merely a democratic right, but has become a requirement of the syariah-based responsibility of ‘amar makruf nahi mungkar’ (enjoining good and forbidding wrongdoing)," he said.
In response, DAP Youth leader Lim Chun Weng asked why PAS did not end gambling when it was previously part of the federal government and also warned that PAS should not twist the court’s decision into suggesting that voting for the party is a measure of a Muslim’s faith.
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Passport barrier
Immigration has stopped carrying forward up to six months of unused validity from existing passports when issuing new 10-year passports.
The move follows problems faced by Malaysians using the affected passports to travel abroad, with Immigration Department director-general Zakaria Shaaban saying that about 26,000 of such passports have been suspended and will need to be replaced.
This prompted DAP lawmaker Lim Lip Eng to call for an independent audit into the matter, with the Kepong MP questioning the approval process and costs incurred by affected holders. He said the rollout exposed serious shortcomings in planning and testing.
“Find out who approved it. Reveal the cost. Hold them accountable. Those responsible cannot hide behind technical explanations,” Lim said.
To this, Zakaria said the department is willing to be audited.
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Questions remain over Rocky’s death
The man implicated in Rocky’s death has said he had no intention of killing the dog, but that account does little to resolve the disturbing allegations surrounding what happened that night.
Shah Hizam said he was merely carrying out duties during a dog-catching operation in Klang. His lawyer also claimed the situation became chaotic when Rocky’s alleged owner tried to prevent the dog from being captured.
But Rocky’s owner Roghini Devi has given a starkly different account, alleging that the dog was brutally beaten and her pleas for her pet to be released were unheeded. She claimed she had also been struck with a stick.
The incident had sparked public outrage over the handling of stray and unlicensed animals, specifically dogs.
Police have submitted their investigation papers to the deputy public prosecutor, while the Selangor Veterinary Services Department is probing the matter under the Animal Welfare Act.
Until those investigations are concluded, there are still more questions than answers - particularly over what happened to Rocky and how his death could have been prevented.
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Views that matter
 | By Andrew Sia |
 | C4 Center, et al |
 | By Ong Kian Ming |
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