PADANG BESAR – The PAS-led Perlis government will need time to study if it is advisable to ban legal gaming such as 4D number outlets here.
Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli said the state would need time to discuss with relevant stakeholders and outlet operators before deciding if it is viable to emulate what Kedah has done the previous year.
Kedah, its neighbouring state, banned all forms of gambling last year, including 4D gaming outlets – by not renewing their local government permits when they expired.
It is believed that there are 50 such outlets in the state of which several have since closed following the move to ban their operations there.
“We need time to study the situation here. This is a new government,” said Shukri, who is also Perlis PAS commissioner.
He was speaking at a press conference after visiting the border district here to launch a hydroponic agriculture project yesterday.
The worry among the non-Muslim community here is that the state will emulate what PAS has done in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah by banning activities deemed “haram” in Islam, with alcohol consumption and gambling cited as such activities.
Shukri is the first PAS Menteri Besar in Perlis after Perikatan Nasional (PN) won 14 out of 15 state seats during the general election in November.
The sole opposition member in the state legislative assembly is Gan Ay Ling of Pakatan Harapan, representing the Indera Kayangan state constituency.
Gan could not be reached for comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, a businessman in Perlis, Muhsin Bajunid hopes that a dialogue will be held between the state and private sectors to ensure both sides are in sync in driving the development of the country’s smallest state.
Muhsin said that the state is in need of more foreign direct investments and must learn from the mistakes of the previous administrations for Perlis to move forward. – The Vibes, December 9, 2022
