ALOR STAR – The Kedah government’s decision to ban gambling outlets and control the sale of alcohol in the state is final.
Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said there is nothing left to review or discuss with any party on the matter.
Sanusi said he is doing it for the people’s harmony and it has nothing to do with race or religion.
“It is not a religious or racial issue, there is nothing to discuss with any party to ban gambling in the state. What is there to discuss with the government?
“This is a gambling issue and not an issue with non-Muslims. It is not a religious issue, but an issue of licensing for gambling premises. It is not related to race or religion,” he told a media conference after the state assembly.
He was asked whether the government will review its decision to ban gambling in the state.
“I don’t deny the rights of non-Muslims, but I am determined to maintain the harmony of the people in Kedah. It is not an issue of the Chinese, it is also not an issue with the Siamese, Indians and Malays. I don’t want the communities in Kedah to fall prey to the gambling phenomenon.
“After losing money in betting they return home to beat their wives and children, they continue to lose their jobs and start to sell scrap metal for RM50 and spend the money again in betting as they ignore the welfare of their families,” he said.
He said this has been going on for a long time and that he is aware of the bad effects of gambling.
“Let us close the door to such negative activities in the state during my time. Don’t say this is small; even if it’s small, we have to stop it.
“Some claim illegal gambling will be nourished if we ban legal gambling. Illegal gambling is another matter or another issue, so we will close licensed gambling (outlets) and then tackle the illegal gambling issue,” he said.
Sanusi said he is willing to face legal action, and if someone wants to pursue a suit against him, they should go ahead as the state will handle it.
“I, too, work in accordance with the law,” he said when asked about a lawyer’s recent tweet that Kedah’s decision is against Article 81 of the federal constitution.
He added Kelantan and Terengganu had made similar decisions before this and they did not face any legal action on the matter.
Derga assemblyman Tan Kok Yew in a recent media conference said that the party may file a judicial review on the ban of gambling outlets in Kedah.
On Penang Mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor’s criticism, Sanusi said he accepts the criticism as Wan Salim was his lecturer.
“He was my lecturer and I was his student in USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia).”
“It is called humming.
“I did not say Penang is ‘Darul Judi’, I just said that when we close the outlets in Kedah, those punters could go to Penang as the state has lottery outlets,” he added.
However, Sanusi told Wan Salim to advise the Penang government to close down the lottery outlets in the state.
The “sin city” allusion by Sanusi saying that those who want to bet on 4D numbers “can go to Penang” had upset the Penang mufti.
Wan Salim said Sanusi’s remark equating Penang to gambling is an “insult” to the Islamic institutions in the state. – The Vibes, November 18, 2021
