Cabinet could have revoked decision to increase special draws, says Syahredzan

 The DAP leader questions ex-law minister Takiyuddin Hassan's statement that the matter was never brought up for discussion.

DAP vice-chairman Syahredzan Johan asked whether PAS ministers in the Muhyiddin Yassin-led government were merely bystanders. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

DAP vice-chairman Syahredzan Johan has questioned PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan’s claim that the Bersatu-led government’s decision to increase the number of special lottery draws to 22 a year was never raised in the Cabinet.

Takiyuddin, who was in charge of law when Muhyiddin Yassin was the prime minister from March 2020 to August 2021, also said ministers had never discussed the matter during Cabinet meetings.

He said matters related to the special draws fell under the finance ministry’s purview, and PAS ministers in the government only voiced their opposition after learning of the decision to increase the number of special draws.

In a post on Threads, Syahredzan said the Cabinet, which is the country’s highest executive body and meets every week, could order for any decision to be revoked.

“Were the PAS ministers back then merely bystanders? I am sure they were not,” he said.

“So why did they allow such a decision to be made?”

Yesterday, Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who was the finance minister then, said the government, which included PAS ministers, was collectively responsible for the decision to increase the number of special lottery draws to 22 times a year.

Tengku Zafrul, now the prime minister’s senior political adviser, said special draws dated back to 1999, and that an annual ceiling of 22 draws had already been in place under Barisan Nasional before he became the finance minister in the Muhyiddin-led government.

He was responding to a claim that he was personally responsible for the decision to increase the number of special draws.

Last week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hit back at those who labelled him a “tauke judi” (gambling boss), saying his administration had reduced the number of special lottery draws from 22 to eight a year.

There were 11 special lottery draws in 2019 before the Pakatan Harapan government reduced it to eight in 2020.

The issue of special lottery draws resurfaced last month after the Federal Court dismissed the Kedah government’s bid to overturn a ruling that barred it from refusing to renew licences for pool betting and lottery operators. - FMT