December 8, 2022
PETALING JAYA – The PAS ulama council says the Prime Minister must explain claims of foreign funding given to Pakatan Harapan and not make baseless allegations against Perikatan Nasional.
In a statement on Wednesday (Dec 7), head of the council Datuk Ahmad Yahya said it will also begin legal action against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for accusing the party of receiving gambling revenue without providing any proof.
“How could he justify allegations that it is ‘assumed’ that Perikatan received funding (from gambling revenue) without providing clear proof?
“Do not turn the government formed after GE15 into a ‘kerajaan Pak Pandir’ (simpleton government).
“The Kedah state government under Perikatan strictly committed to shut down all gambling premises beginning next year.
“This was following the (decisions) of the state governments of Kelantan and Terengganu.
“Since when have gambling companies been so friendly with Perikatan that they were willing to fund its election expenses?
“As a matter of fact, the tax gained from the gambling sector was the highest during the rule of Pakatan Harapan in 2019, reaching up to RM3.43bil – the highest since 2010.
“Does Anwar have the political will to continue shutting down gambling premises as done by Perikatan before this?” he asked.
Ahmad noted, however, that the main issue was the claim of foreign funding received by Pakatan which raised public concerns earlier.
“This was revealed by International Republican Institute (IRI) president Daniel Twining post-GE14.
“This allegation is more dangerous as it means risking the country’s sovereignty to foreign interests. The irony is that there has been no allegation, nor answers forthcoming,” he said.
On Monday, Anwar had hit out at Perikatan for allowing 22 special draws for 4D numbers a year under its administration.
“On the issue of gambling, certainly this is partly used to finance elections. (I have asked for) checks on that.
“Whether you call yourself a Malay party or an Islamist party, notwithstanding, the (election) funds came from gaming companies,” he added.