KUALA LUMPUR – PAS Ulama Council chief Datuk Ahmad Yahya, whose party was part of the previous federal government that increased the number of special draws for 4D lottery from eight to 22, is now urging the current administration to eliminate gambling altogether.
Ahmad said that the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led government should have the political will to emulate Kedah in ceasing all issuance and renewal of gambling licences beginning this year.
Merely reducing special draws is not something that the administration should take pride in when gambling premises continue to operate in major parts of the country, he added.
“(Instead) push for policies that would educate the public and are guided by religion,” he said in a statement today.
“The Ulama Council is confident that no studies have proven that gambling is able to lift the community out of poverty. It is only an illusion similar to a mirage.
“Furthermore, gambling leads to moral collapse and disrupts the harmony within a family and community. As such, strict policies against gambling ought to be implemented without conditions.”
Previously on December 5, Anwar had announced that the federal cabinet has agreed to reduce the number of special draws per annum back to eight beginning this year, as was the case during Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) first stint in federal power from 2018 to early 2021.
Prior to that, under the administration of Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Najib Razak administration, gaming companies were allowed to hold 22 special draws annually. The PH administration then reduced it to 11 in 2019 and subsequently to eight in 2020.
The number of draws was increased back to 22 under the Perikatan Nasional government, which included PAS and ruled from March 2021 to November this year.
Ahmad’s statement today comes following the enforcement of a new policy to stop renewing or issuing new licences for gambling and lottery businesses in Kedah, making it the third gambling-free state after Kelantan and Terengganu.
He said the move is in line with the demands made in the Quran, which strictly prohibits Muslims from gambling.
The Kedah PAS commissioner also rubbished suggestions that the state will struggle financially due to a lack of income from gaming tax as a result of the closure of gambling facilities, going by incoming investments.
“Kedah recorded its highest investment in history throughout 2021, producing a series of high-impact mega projects, offering hundreds of thousands of job opportunities.
“Thank god, when one damaged door has been closed, millions of other doors of blessings and sustenance are opened,” he said. – The Vibes, January 2, 2023
