PN govt nearly tripled special lottery draws, PKR man reminds Sanusi

Kedah PKR leader Tunku Nashrul Abaidah criticized menteri besar Sanusi Nor for doubling down on his remarks against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim regarding pool betting and lottery operators. Nashrul accused Sanusi of engaging in hypocrisy, pointing out that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government nearly tripled the number of special lottery draws when in power.

The administration had increased the special draws from eight a year to 22 a year, whereas Anwar later reduced them to just eight a year. When PAS was part of the PN government, Sanusi's administration raised the number of special lottery draws, and it was Anwar who reduced them. A Federal Court ruling in August rejected Kedah's attempt to overturn a decision barring the state from renewing licences for pool betting and lottery operators.

The Court of Appeal had earlier ruled the state government's move to deny licence renewals unconstitutional. Sanusi argued that the decision on gambling activities now rested with Anwar, who is also the finance minister. Nashrul urged Sanusi to stop using Anwar to hide his legal setbacks and pointed out that the prime minister did not interfere with the court's decision.

Meanwhile, PKR Youth vice-chief Dr Taufiq Johari accused Sanusi of disrespecting the court's ruling by using insulting language like "celaka" and "pelaq" when urging Anwar to halt licence renewals. Johari emphasized that Islam strictly forbids gambling for Muslims and that such language was inappropriate for a leader like Sanusi.

He stressed that his actions and words not only attacked the prime minister but also insulted the court's decision and the dignity of the Federal Constitution, emphasizing that legal matters should not be used as cheap political ammunition.