SHAH ALAM, Aug 29 — The Madani government has never supported gambling and remains committed to curb such activities by reducing the number of special draws for number forecast operators, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister said the current administration has reduced the frequency of specials draws to eight from 22 times, a year.
“People say Anwar is a gambling boss. I do not support gambling. Before I became Prime Minister, under the previous government, number forecast draws were held 22 times a year.
“I have reduced them gradually. I brought the number down from 22 to eight times a year. So why are you insulting me?
“When you were in government, there were 22 draws a year; when I came into government, I reduced it to eight,” he said when launching the MADANI Permatang Pauh Usahawan Bangkit Scheme (SUB) at Dewan Yayasan Aman, Penanti, here today.
Anwar said reducing the number of such draws was among the measures taken to curb gambling activities. He also stressed that he should not be blamed for policies implemented by previous administrations.
Recently, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor blamed Anwar over the court’s decision concerning the issue of licences for gambling premises in the state.
The Prime Minister also said the government would continue to strengthen religious values and moral standards in society through various initiatives, including Quran education programmes and approaches that directly address the people’s daily lives
He reiterated that the country’s development should not be measured solely by economic progress, but must instead be balanced with religious understanding and the cultivation of good moral values among the people.
Meanwhile, Anwar said Permatang Pauh would always hold a special place in his political journey despite now being the Tambun Member of Parliament.
The former Permatang Pauh MP said he would never forget the constituency, which witnessed the beginning of his service as an elected representative and holds sentimental value as part of the history of his political struggle.
Anwar stressed that although he now represents the Tambun parliamentary constituency, his ties and commitment to Permatang Pauh had never been severed.
“Permatang Pauh gave me my opportunity in the beginning. I became Prime Minister today as the representative of Tambun, but it all started in Permatang Pauh.
“How could I forget it? This is our hometown. I went to Port Dickson (Negeri Sembilan), while Tambun gave us the strength, but it all started here. That is why I have to come down to Permatang Pauh because this is my place, my hometown,” he said.
Anwar first won the Permatang Pauh seat in 1982 and held it until 1999, before winning it again in 2008 and serving until 2015, bringing his total period representing the constituency to about 24 years.
He subsequently won the Port Dickson parliamentary seat in a by-election in 2018 before moving on to win the Tambun seat in the 15th General Election in 2022.
