Sanusi Nor has dismissed the need for PAS to include its goal of ending gambling nationwide in its election manifesto, saying the party’s position is already clearly enshrined in its constitution.
The PAS election director, who is also Kedah menteri besar, said the Islamic policies pursued by the party naturally reject gambling as part of efforts to establish Islamic values in the country.
“PAS’s policy is Islam, and in Islam, gambling is prohibited. That is already in Clause 5 of the PAS constitution, so there’s no need to wait for a manifesto,” he said, according to Sinar Harian.
PAS says anti-gambling stance already clear
Last month, PAS urged Muslim voters to put the party in federal power so that it could end gambling.
Sanusi said the party’s position on the issue was already clearly stated in its constitution and therefore did not need to be separately included in an election manifesto.
Kedah ready to fight compensation claim
Asked about lottery operators seeking compensation over the Kedah government’s now-scrapped ban on licence renewals, Sanusi said his administration would wait for them to file the legal action.
“If they want to file a suit to seek compensation, we will fight them,” he said.
Federal Court rejects Kedah’s appeal
On Aug 12, the Federal Court rejected the Kedah government’s attempt to overturn a ruling that barred the state administration from refusing to renew licences for pool betting and lottery operators.
The Court of Appeal had ruled that the state government could not impose a blanket ban on pool betting and lottery businesses solely on the grounds that they involved gambling.
The appellate court said the state government could only regulate licensing based on premises-related factors, including building conditions, safety compliance, sanitation, whether the premises caused a nuisance and the suitability of the locations.
