Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor should stop pointing the finger at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the Kedah government’s failure to shut down gambling premises in the state, said Kedah Pakatan Harapan (PH) state leadership council communications director Tunku Nashrul Abaidah.
He said the Kedah Menteri Besar should not drag unrelated parties into the matter simply to deflect attention from shortcomings within his own administration.
“Sanusi, do not move the goalposts. He should answer for the failure of his own administration based on facts and stop making the Prime Minister a target.
“Do not throw stones while hiding your hand. The double standards and pretence of moral superiority shown over this issue clearly reflect political hypocrisy,” he said in a statement today.
Tunku Nashrul also pointed to the record of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration, saying special lottery draws were increased from eight to 22 times a year when PAS was part of the federal government.
“In contrast, it was Datuk Seri Anwar, as Prime Minister and Finance Minister, who is being attacked by Sanusi, who reduced the number back to eight times a year,” he said.
The issue of gambling premises licences in Kedah has resurfaced following a court ruling in favour of the operators, which overturned the state government’s decision not to renew their licences.
Tunku Nashrul said Muhammad Sanusi, as the Menteri Besar who led the decision, had ultimately lost the legal challenge.
“The action taken by his administration was overturned after the court found that it had exceeded the state’s jurisdiction, while an application for leave to appeal was also rejected by the Federal Court,” he said.
He stressed that Malaysia practises a separation of powers involving three main branches — the legislature, executive and judiciary.
“This case stemmed from an administrative decision made by Sanusi, which was challenged by the operators and subsequently decided independently by the judiciary,” he said.
The latest exchange comes amid renewed political debate over gambling regulations in Kedah, with both sides trading accusations over who bears responsibility for the outcome.
