MONIES or wealth accrued from gambling is considered haram by Muslims.
Thus, when National DAP vice-chairman and Communications Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching uploaded a clip on Facebook Reels purporting to highlight the party’s hard work in supporting Chinese education, all hell broke loose.
Why? The clip includes scenes showing tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun making a speech at a school gathering while claiming that Sports Toto Bhd in which he is the ultimate major shareholder is committed to supporting Chinese schools and sports.
The involvement of the country’s largest number forecast operator and the sole licensed national lotto operator in school donation drives was fiercely criticised and used as a stick to beat the current Madani administration.
An example was a post on X by Naratif Rakyat (@NaratifRakyat) which proclaimed that it was incredible that a gambling outfit could be involved in school’s fundraising programmes.
Using a Malay proverb that translates to “bend the bamboo, let it be from the bamboo shoots”, the poster insinuated that the involvement of the lottery giant subtly influence young minds into becoming future customers.
This was life under Madani rule, declared the post which has garnered 198.5K views at the time of writing.
Critics of the current Madani administration were quick to jump on the bandwagon. It was even claimed that now ruling political parties received donations from gambling outfits while in opposition.
Hence, when those parties are in power, these companies were able to infiltrate school programmes.
However, a few commenters pointed out the hypocrisy of the detractors. This was for Chinese schools and thus is of no concern to Malay Muslims.
It was further argued that fishing competitions that offered millions in prize money was treated as “halal gambling” and posed a greater danger to society as there are no restrictions for Muslims.
It was also sarcastically pointed out that these schools had little choice but to accept gambling money as zakat (tithe) collections seemed to be funnelled to purchases of luxury cars and houses.
It was also noted that this was a good “deterrent” to Malay-Muslim kids attending Chinese schools.
A similar debate also erupted on X feed of Pedoq (@pedoqpop) which had pinned the post by Naratif Rakyat.
Hastagging the post simply as #Madaniberkerja, there were again those who berated the involvement of Sports Toto in school projects.
One asked if massage parlours, spas and casinos would also be similarly be allowed to be involved in school projects in future.
One furious commenter was aghast that this was allowed to happen, claiming that pupils and sporting activities must not to be confused with Sports Toto which is “sending all the wrong signals”.
The point that this was an exercise in subtle indoctrination was also repeated here.
On the flip side, there were many who disagreed with the poster’s take. It was highlighted that the gambling mogul made his fortune during the tenure of Tun Mahathir Mohamad – a figure once admired by the Malay community.
His rise and influence can be traced to back when Barisan Nasional (BN) was in power. Henceforth, it was insinuated that it is unfair to blame the Madani administration for Sports Toto flexing its muscles.
The accusation of petty jealousy among Malay-Muslims was also thrown in for good measure.
It is a sticky point of contention. On the one hand, it is a legitimate concern that betting companies are allowed to be involved in school activities. The fear that young minds are being shaped by undesirable influences is real.
On the other, Chinese schools need funding and accepting contributions from organisations like Sports Toto (or even brewers for that matter) to allow these schools to provide better facilities and improved learning environment.
Citizens will need to decide but preferably without partisan politics colouring their judgement. – Focus Malaysia
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