KEDAH Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has poked fun at Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh, suggesting that the DAP lawmaker be invited to give a talk to Muslims in Kedah on why they should not gamble.
According to reports in Harian Metro, Sanusi was responding to Ramkarpal’s call for the Kedah government to respect the Federal Court’s decision over the state’s policy of refusing to renew gambling licences.
He said the ruling would not stop the state government from pursuing other legal avenues to curb gambling in Kedah.
“On the gambling issue, we cannot just put an end to it because the Federal Court rejected our application for leave to appeal.
“Someone from DAP told us not to look for other ways to stop gambling and said we should accept the decision and focus on Muslims who gamble.
“Ramkarpal said Muslims should be given guidance not to gamble. I said that’s a good idea. We can invite him to give a talk. Let DAP give a talk to Muslims telling them not to gamble,” he said.
Sanusi was speaking at a programme on the issue of efforts to curb gambling in Kedah here last night.
He also said the final say on gambling licences lies with the Finance Ministry, which is headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“The ball is now with the Finance Ministry. They will decide whether to kick it into the net or score an own goal.
“The approval of gambling licences is under the Finance Minister, who is responsible for deciding whether such licences should be approved in Kedah,” he said.
The Federal Court had earlier rejected the Kedah government’s application for leave to appeal against a ruling that overturned its decision to stop the issuance and renewal of licences for number forecast operators in the state.
A three-member panel chaired by Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang, with Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah and Datuk Azmi Ariffin, also ordered the state government to pay RM50,000 in costs. – August 26, 2026
