An aide to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad has accused a journalist of attempting to portray PAS in a bad light after the minister was pressed to answer a question on the gambling ban in Kedah.
This came after Free Malaysia Today (FMT) published an article on how Idris and Deputy Human Resources Minister Awang Hashim turned confrontational with the reporter yesterday.
FMT reported that Idris pointedly asked the journalist if she could tolerate her husband being a gambler, while Awang insisted that she ask the question in Bahasa Malaysia.
Taking to Facebook, PAS Youth information chief Khairul Nadzir Helmi Azhar, who is also an aide to Idris, claimed that his boss only threw a "provocative" question in response to her attempt to make the Islamic party look bad in the non-Muslim community.
"What startled her was when Idris asked a provocative question, in response to her continuous pushing to the extent of showing PAS in a bad light among non-Muslim friends," he claimed.
"(The question was:) 'Do you agree if your husband becomes a gambler?'."
"The question was answered with a question after the minister had politely replied that gambling is not a practice of any religion let alone a culture," he said.
"She looked annoyed because her husband was used as an example, while this is the real fact that gambling has damaged many family institutions," Khairul claimed.
He also justified the provocative question asked by his boss, saying that women and children fall victim when their husbands become gamblers.
"(This).... is a picture of how a leader needs to save all families in Malaysia so that they stay away from gambling under the authority they have," he said.
Khairul appeared to have an issue with the way his boss was approached - the doorstop interview - a common practice by journalists when they have questions for the relevant leaders.
"The FMT reporter (first) came as a surprise to the minister who was rushing home after (attending) the Perikatan Nasional manifesto event yesterday.
"Without introducing herself, she just 'accused' if the closure of gambling and liquor shop will affect the rights of the non-Muslims in Malaysia," he claimed.
(Based on audio recording, she did introduce herself as being from FMT)
"Next to Idris, Awang reprimanded her for her attitude and demanded her to speak in Bahasa Malaysia," Khairul claimed.
FMT reported that the reporter had initially approached Idris to comment on the decision by the Kedah government to ban gambling, to which he claimed that everyone, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, was against gambling.
When asked how he arrived at such a conclusion, Idris said the policy on banning gambling had been implemented in Kelantan and Terengganu, adding it was well-received by the non-Muslims in the two East Coast states.
The reporter then asked about the possible concern over such a policy being extended to other states, to which Awang reprimanded the reporter.
Yesterday, Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor announced that the business licence of the gaming shops in the state will not be renewed by local councils. - Mkini
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