PAS may close Genting casino
Islamic party chief says this is possible if they win Pahang
(The Malay Mail) – The nation’s sole casino attraction may be forced to shut down if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) wins Pahang in the next general election.
State PAS chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man told The Malay Mail the party may consider closing up Resorts World Genting’s gambling operations if it wins the State.
The party’s information chief said PAS will need to first discuss with its coalition partners and relevant stakeholders before a consensus is reached.
“Genting is still on lease from the State government. We need to see how we perform during the next general election. But we will discuss with our component parties. This involves religious concerns. The discussion will also include all stakeholders.”
Tuan Ibrahim was responding to MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s claims on Monday that Genting will become a victim if PR takes over Putrajaya.
Dr Chua said PAS will try to assert its influence to force PR to implement similar policies in Kelantan where the State government has banned lottery outlets.
“Therefore, the Opposition claim that hudud law will not affect the non-Muslims is not true.”
Tuan Ibrahim said Dr Chua was ignorant of hudud laws and should not make statements over subjects he is not well-informed.
“He (Dr Chua) does not understand hudud, so he should not comment. Hudud is only for Muslims and not non- Muslims. He should not say anything because he does not see the whole picture. That shows how ignorant he is.”
Tuan Ibrahim’s response is bound to further strain PR after both PAS and DAP agreed to disagree over the implementation of hudud laws in the country.
The issue almost tore the coalition apart after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng threatened the party’s entire central committee would resign if Islamic laws were forced into PR’s Common Policy Framework.
During the 2008 election, PR only managed to garner four from 42 state seats in Pahang with DAP and PAS holding two seats each.
