Saturday, 19 June 2010 11:56am
©The Malaysian Insider (Used by permission)
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the Najib administration’s recent move to approve sports betting through tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan’s Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd was a way to “respect” non-Muslim rights in the country.The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the government needed to take into consideration the rights of other citizens in the country and not just Muslims who form the majority.
“You must remember that the country does not belong to the Muslims. There are things that sometimes non-Muslims do, for example, gambling. It is their culture, their way of life and we have to respect their rights.
“Jangan semua undang-undang berdasarkan keperluan orang Islam sahaja (All laws in the country cannot be based on only the needs of Muslims),” Nazri (picture) told The Malaysian Insider this week.
The outspoken minister claimed that there was a general misconception that legitimising sports betting would earn the wrath of Malay-Muslim voters to vote against Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general election.
“Go and ask the non-Muslims whether it will affect their votes, not just the Muslims. Our tendency is to always think from the Muslim point of view, as if non-Muslims are not an important part of the country. We cannot be like that, we have to consider their rights,” said Nazri, who is also an Umno supreme council member.
The law minister slammed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers for using the sports betting issue as a means to gain political points among Malay voters, who have traditionally been backing Umno and BN for decades.
Other BN parties such as the MCA and MIC have come out this past week to back the sports betting licence for Ascot Sports despite the government insisting that a licence has yet to be issued.
In a rare moment, Nazri agreed with former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed’s claims that opposition to licensed sports betting from PR was “politically motivated and not because of Islam”.
“Yes, I agree with Tun, although it may come as a surprise to you. DAP against sports betting? I think its just politicking because what’s our concern (here)? Syariah (law) states that Muslims should not gamble. I agree, (there are) no two ways about that,” said the law minister.
He disclosed the government will execute a system which will prevent Muslims from betting.
“We can have a system that will prevent Muslims from betting, so we will install it. If you want to bet, you must give your IC, full name. If you are Muslim, then naturally you can’t place a bet.”
However the minister stopped short of expressing confidence that such a system would be fool-proof.
“We can enforce it using whatever we have. But there is no 100 per cent guarantee that we can stop it (Muslims from betting),” said the Padang Rengas MP.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this week that the Finance Ministry has not awarded a sports betting licence to Ascot Sports.
The finance minister has been elusive on the sports betting licence after it was reported that Berjaya Corporation had confirmed that the Treasury had approved the licence for Ascot Sports in its filing to Bursa Malaysia about its acquisition of the company.
“The Minister of Finance has given its approval for the re-issuance to Ascot of the licence to carry out sports betting operations upon certain terms and conditions,” the announcement said.
However, the Treasury had earlier denied that the government awarded the betting licence to Ascot Sports.
The Finance Ministry told Parliament on June 7 that government has not yet concluded its discussions and terms regarding the legalisation of sports betting.
“The government has yet to issue a license to Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd for bookie operation in Malaysia.
“The government has also not concluded discussions on the terms and conditions for licensing to Ascot Sports for bookie operations in Malaysia,” the ministry said in a written reply.
The ministry also said that it was still open to feedback from various parties.
Berjaya Corp reported that the government had last month re-issued the licence to Tan after the original licence was cancelled by the previous Abdullah administration. The tycoon’s son — Datuk Robin Tan Yeong Ching — will retain his 30 per cent stake in the company.
Tan had first obtained the licence in 1987 but had “asked the government to take it back” when the venture was unsuccessful. But he has now obtained the right to get the licence back and was exercising it.
Berjaya Corp, a gaming, property and hospitality group, told Bursa Malaysia on May 12 that it plans to purchase a controlling stake in Ascot Sports, which has been re-issued a conditional sports betting licence by the Finance Ministry.
It said Tan has also agreed to guarantee that the company will make a cumulative net profit of at least RM375 million for the first three years of operation and had backed it by offering to deposit RM81.25 million worth of listed securities while Berjaya Corp will withhold RM125 million cash from the total purchase price.
Berjaya Corp said it will finance the initial consideration of RM400 million by undertaking a renounceable rights issue of up to RM614.46 million nominal value of 10-year eight per cent irredeemable convertible unsecured loan stocks (Iculs), done on the basis of one RM1 nominal value of Iculs for every eight Berjaya Corp shares owned.
It added that Tan has undertaken to subscribe to his and his private companies’ entitlements in full, which would amount to at least RM400 million.
Ascot Sports, which is currently a dormant company, recorded net liabilities and net loss of RM11.2 million and RM4.6 million respectively for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2008.
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein told reporters on May 6 that the government was considering issuing the licence to curb illegal gambling."".
p/s:
NAMPAKNYA, Tun Mahathir, Nazri Aziz, Najib malah 'bakal' Menteri Besar Kelantan, Awang Adek sebulat suara memperjuangkan habis-habisan judi bola. MENGAPA? Mengapa ahli UMNO bawahan begitu bebal sekali? Benarlah firman Allah bahawa Allah menyesatkan sesiapa yang Dia kehendaki.
Menjadi kewajipan kita kaum Muslimin merancang dengan kemas dan mengalahkan golongan munafiqin nihh.
JANGAN LUPA, 11 daripada pilihanraya kecil BN sebelum ini turut ditaja oleh syarikat judi. Kerana itulah hati mereka begitu keras dan nur cahaya keimanan tidak dapat meresap masuk.
Berdasarkan Hadis Riwayat Bukhari dan Muslim, Nabi Muhammad s.a.w mengatakan :
"Tanda orang-orang munafik itu ada tiga keadaan.
Pertama, apabila berkata-kata, dia berdusta.
Kedua, apabila berjanji, dia ingkari.
Ketiga, apabila diberikan amanah (kepercayaan), dia khianati"”
Orang-orang munafiq juga melampau dalam pertengkaran. Cuba lihat Nazri Aziz waktu bergaduh dengan Tun Mahathir dulu, sungguh melampau mereka berdua. Lihat juga Najib, dia berkata tidak pernah berjumpa Saiful sebelum Saiful ‘diliwat’. Saiful pula berkata di mahkamah bahawa dia berjumpa Najib SEBELUM diliwat Anwar.
Lihat saja ayat-ayat kesat yang digunakan oleh pengampu dan blogger UMNO ke atas ulamak seperti Tok Guru. Sekiranya Baginda Rasullullah SAW sendiri masih hidup, nescaya Baginda tidak terlepas dari maki hamun dan cercaan mereka. Ini kerana ulamak pewaris Nabi tidak lebih dari sekadar menyambung episode-episod perjuangan Islam yang dibawa oleh Nabi.
Bayangkan jika Saidina Umar masih hidup, AGAK-AGAKNYA, apa ulasan beliau tentang Nazri Aziz ni??
Tiada ulasan:
Catat Ulasan