Umno's hypocrisy over gambling condemned

PENANG (Harakahdaily) - PAS central committee member Mohamad Sabu has lashed out at UMNO's "hypocrisy" in their latest attack on the Penang state government, in which it was alleged that money from gambling had been used for financial aid to senior citizens.

“Based on my experience as a three-term member of parliament, not a single UMNO leader had stood up to oppose gambling licenses which were given out in the country,” said Mohamad Sabu, adding that in contrast, PAS had been always consistent in its stand on the issue.

Mohamad Sabu also reminded that it was Barisan Nasional led by UMNO which had approved licences for the present gambling industry, represented by such companies as SportsToto, Magnum and Genting.

On the allegation that the money given by the state government was ‘wang haram’ (forbidden money), he said it was UMNO's way of manipulating and victimising the elderly citizens to advance its political interests.

“How about the sin-tax which has been raised in Parliament before? Has (UMNO) questioned how the tax money from gambling, breweries and massage parlours was spent?

"Although they are aware of the truth, they will continue to attack the state government," he said, adding that the Malay-based party should make a self-reflection of their actions in using gambling revenues from around the country.

“This is proof yet again that UMNO and BN are getting desperate and are forced to play the race and religion cards to gain support."

The controversy sparked by UMNO's allegation has been given immense publicity from non other than the UMNO-controlled media, most notably by the right wing group Perkasa's mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia.

Earlier this week, UMNO's Bayan Baru division chief Abdul Rahim Saibu gathered some 50 teary-eyed elderly individuals, announcing that they were returning the RM100 compassionate allowance received from the Penang state government.

'Return your salaries'

In an immediate response, DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua challenged UMNO MPs and state assemblymen to return their salaries to the Federal treasury to prove they were principled Muslims, saying their salaries' source was even more dubious than what had been claimed in Penang.

Pua also reminded that the BN-controlled Federal government was the one who had control on licensing for gambling activities.

“These UMNO leaders should not only return their allowances back to the Government, they should also demand that for future infrastructure projects such as highways built by the Federal Government, there should be lanes designated for Muslims and non-Muslims based on the proportionate breakdown of source of revenue used to build the roads,” he said in a stinging statement yesterday