‘Saya tauke judi? Saya kurangkan jumlah cabutan khas’, tegas Anwar

Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim has dismissed accusations of being a gambler, insisting he has reduced the frequency of his high-stakes number predictions from 22 times a year to just 8 times. As Finance Minister, his decision to decrease the number of high-stakes predictions demonstrates his efforts to curb gambling activities. Anwar asked his critics to examine themselves first at a Permatang Pauh Startup Scheme Launching Ceremony in Penanti.

He referenced the government's increase in high-stakes predictions from 8 to 22 times a year between 2020 and 2022, before his administration reduced it back to 8 times. Anwar's remarks were seen as a response to Kedah's Menteri Besar, Sanusi Nor, who recently questioned whether gambling activities were allowed in Kedah after the Federal Court rejected his petition to review the decision to cancel a state action that banned the issuance and renewal of permits for number prediction operators.

Sanusi warned Anwar that public opinion in Kedah will decide whether gambling activities are permitted in the state. Anwar expressed regret over billions of ringgit that should have benefited the public being lost due to corruption, citing the Hajj Endowment Fund and Felda scandals. He also criticized critics for not holding accountable the individuals involved in those scandals, emphasizing his efforts to ensure accountability and integrity in the management of public funds.

Anwar vowed, "I'm fed up with this now. I'll catch them, I swear. Not me, not my work – I catch people." However, he added that if the public had only demanded RM2,000, the billions of missing ringgit would have been recovered.