ALOR STAR: Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md has ruled out any possibility of a review regarding the ban on gaming and lottery ticket outlets in the state.
Sanusi argued that gaming and lottery had never been a tool for racial harmony and suggested that there are other means to achieve racial harmony.
"There will be no review on this matter, this is not about just one race... gaming harms all races.
"Gaming has never been a tool for racial harmony... harmony could instead be formed through schools integration, sport activities, cross-cultural arts, (using) common languages and many more," he said when contacted.
Sanusi was responding to Kedah DAP secretary Teh Swee Leong's call yesterday urging the Perikatan Nasional state government to review the ban on legal gaming and lottery ticket outlets in the state enforced beginning Jan 1.
The New Straits Times reported Swee Leong as arguing that the move would not contribute towards eliminating immorality and social degradation, as the ban would only encourage illegal gaming activities instead.
Commenting further, Sanusi challenged Swee Leong, who is also DAP Kota Darul Aman assemblyman to provide evidence that gaming could form racial harmony.
"Tell him to provide proof that gambling could form racial harmony," he added.
Beginning Jan 1, all legal gaming and lottery ticket outlets in Kedah have effectively ceased operations following the state government's ban on the activities came into force.
In November 2021, Sanusi announced the state government's decision to neither approve new legal gaming licences nor renew existing licences once they expired on Dec 31.
He also announced that the state government would impose stricter regulations for liquor sales in areas with low market demand.
Sanusi was reported as saying the decision was made with the intention to stem negative activities that could lead to social degradation and had nothing to do with racial, religious or political issues.
Kedah had followed suit the move to ban legal gaming and lottery ticket outlets imposed by Pas-led state governments in Kelantan and Terengganu years ago.