MCA dan Umno: Siapa sesatkan siapa?

Posted by admin on March 26th, 2011

Apabila Chua Soi Lek mengambil langkah untuk menyaman Kerajaan Negeri PAS Kelantan di dalam isu mengharamkan judi, terfikir pula oleh saya apa tindakan Umno selanjutnya? Kita tahu bahawa beberapa pemimpin DAP juga menentang tindakan Kerajaan Negeri PAS di bawah Tuan Guru Nik Aziz di dalam isu tersebut, tetapi tidak seorang pun pemimpin DAP yang menentang sehingga ke tahap mahu menyaman Kerajaan Negeri.

Itu beza MCA dan DAP walaupun mereka kebanyakan dari bangsa dan agama yang sama. Tetapi oleh kerana MCA berkawan dengan Umno, dan DAP pula berkawan dengan PAS maka itulah bezanya pendekatan mereka. Bukan susah untuk difahami mengapa mereka menentang tindakan Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan tersebut. Pertamanya, mereka Non Muslim dan sudah tentu mereka tidak tahu apa yang Islam mahu capai dengan langkah pengharaman tersebut. Keduanya, mereka berhujah dari segi Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang sedia ada iaitu kebebasan kepada Non Muslim.

DAP walaupun menentang tetapi masih boleh Kerajaan Negeri runding dan beri kefahaman agar mereka faham aspek perlaksanaannya serta kesan dari larangan tersebut. Ertinya, DAP tidak menentang secara mutlak. Tuan Guru Nik Aziz juga telah membuat kenyataan untuk berjumpa dengan kepimpinan DAP agar mereka memahami tentang hukum ini kepada orang Islam. Berbeza dengan pemimpin MCA, mereka menentang secara mutlak iaitu bercadang untuk menyamannya tanpa meminta penjelasan atau keterangan terlebih dahulu daripada Kerajaan Negeri. Jika mahu ditafsirkan siapa `Kafir Harbi’ di sini, saya tidak berani huraikan.

Langkah MCA ingin menyaman Kerajaan Negeri di dalam isu ini tidak ubah dengan cara Mahathir yang pernah mengutus surat kepada Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan dahulu agar tidak melaksanakan Hukum Hudud di negeri tersebut. Kedua-duanya sama iaitu menentang hukum Islam secara mutlak. Bezanya, Mahathir itu mengaku Islam dan Chua Soi Lek adalah Non Muslim. Sekeras-keras teguran dari DAP adalah dari Karpal Singh suatu ketika dahulu di mana beliau pernah berkata, ‘langkah mayat saya dahulu jika mahu Hudud dilaksanakan’.

Di dalam konvensyen PR baru-baru ini, Karpal menyebut perkataannya itu adalah di luar konteks sebenar. Beliau mengambil pendirian terbaru bahawa DAP bersedia untuk berbincang dengan PAS berkaitan hukum Islam. Pendirian terbaru DAP ini tidak dihebahkan oleh media pencacai melainkan sering mengungkit kenyataan lama Pengerusi DAP tersebut. Oleh itu, tindakan Tuan Guru Nik Aziz yang sanggup berbincang dengan DAP di dalam isu ini adalah selaras dengan apa yang Karpal Singh suarakan.

Chua Soi Lek berani berbuat demikian kerana beliau beranggapan bahawa haramnya judi itu adalah kehendak PAS semata-mata, sedangkan itu bukan kehendak PAS tetapi itu adalah perintah Allah. Mengapa Chua Soi Lek tidak faham? Jawapannya mudah, kerana beliau berkawan dengan Umno dan Umno tidak memaklumkan kepadanya tentang hukum berjudi di dalam Islam. Bahkan, Umno sebagai tunjang kerajaan pusat meluluskan lesen judi terbesar di genting dan pernah bercita-cita untuk melaksanakan judi bolasepak Piala dunia baru-baru ini.

Oleh yang demikian, pemimpin di dalam MCA dan Gerakan atau MIC menganggap judi dibenarkan di dalam Islam kerana Umno sendiri redha dan pemimpin dan ahli Umno semuanya mengaku Islam. Pada fikiran Chua Soi Lek, jika Umno yang Islam kata boleh mengapa PAS yang Islam juga kata tidak boleh? Justeru itu, siapa yang menyesatkan siapa? Jangan nanti Chua Soi Lek mahu agar hubungan seks bebas atau oral seks dibenarkan kerana itu hak mereka yang Non Muslim.

Kepada Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan, teruskan usaha tersebut di dalam masa yang sama terangkan kepada mereka bahawa hukum Islam ini menjamin keharmonian semua. Biarlah Umno pula menerangkan kepada sekutu mereka dari MCA, Gerakan dan MIC tentang hukum berjudi di dalam Islam pada pandangan Umno. Adakah berjudi itu `halal’ bila berlesen dan `haram’ bila tidak berlesen, biarlah pemimpin Umno terangkan. Persoalannya, mampukah pemimpin Umno terangkan tentang Islam kepada sekutu mereka itu sedangkan isteri sendiri pun tidak tahu hukum menutup aurat.

wfa​uzdin.blog​spot.com

http://www.kl-today.com/?p=15636

Nanyang minta maaf, PAS tunggu The Star

Harakahdaily

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 Mac: Pejabat Presiden PAS sehingga kini masih menunggu apa reaksi akhbar milik MCA, The Star ekoran laporan palsu yang dibuat oleh akhbar berkenaan mengenai judi.

"Kita masih menunggu reaksi The Star setelah akhbar Cina Nanyang Siang Pau memohon maaf dan menarik balik laporan salahnya," kata Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, Setiausaha Politik Presiden PAS.

Akhbar The Star hari ini hanya menyiarkan berita bahawa akhbar Nanyang telah menarik balik laporan yang tidak benar tersebut namun akhbar itu sendiri tidak memberikan sebarang reaksi terhadap tuntutan Pejabat Presiden PAS sebelum ini.

Ahmad Samsuri sebelum ini dalam kenyataannya mendesak akhbar The Star dan Nanyang menarik balik laporan palsunya berkaitan dengan ucapan Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang di Besut, Terengganu.

(GAMBAR: Laporan akhbar Nanyang iaitu pembetulan dari Ahmad Samsuri dan kenyataan minta maaf di bawahnya)

Menurut The Star, Nanyang Siang Pau telah memohon maaf kepada Presiden PAS kerana tersalah petik kenyataan beliau apabila berkata Pakatan Rakyat akan menutup semua aktiviti judi jika berjaya mengambil alih Putrajaya.

Dalam permohonan maafnya, Nanyang berkata laporannya Isnin lepas tersilap kerana salah terjemahan.

"Apa yang Hadi kata pada hari itu adalah Pakatan akan mansuhkan saman ekor jika mereka mengambilalih Kerajaan Persekutuan.

"Kami memohon maaf atas kekeliruan dan kesilapan ini," kata akhbar Nanyang sebagaimana yang dilaporkan The Star hari ini.

Dr Ahmad Samsuri sebelum ini dalam kenyataannya berkata, PAS membantah terhadap berita bertajuk DAP clashes with PAS over gambling ban, again yang dimuatkan dalam portal berita Malaysiakini, 21 Mac 2011 dan The Star, 22 Mac 2011 dengan tajuk Hadi: Pakatan will ban all gambling in Islamic state.

Artikel berita yang yang dimuatkan dalam portal berita Malaysiakini dengan tajuk di atas, di perenggan enam dan tujuh adalah dirujuk, iaitu: According to reports by Chinese dailies Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press, Hadi allegedly announced during a rally in Jerteh last Saturday that PAS would implement Islamic policies should the party come to power, including a nationwide ban on gambling. He was quoted as saying that the other Pakatan parties had reached a consensus with PAS over the matter.

Manakala Portal The Star pada 22 Mac 2011 juga melaporkan berita dengan tajuknya: Hadi: Pakatan will ban all gambling in Islamic state.

“Adalah dengan ini ingin dipertegaskan bahawa Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang tidak pernah menyebut sama sekali perkara yang dinyatakan sebagaimana di atas dalam ceramah beliau di Jerteh pada Sabtu lepas atau bila-bila masa di mana-mana tempat,” kata Dr Ahmad Samsuri dalam kenyataan itu.

Ujarnya, persoalan bahawa PAS bercanggahan dengan DAP dalam isu berkenaan adalah tidak berbangkit sama sekali.

Rakaman ucapan Presiden PAS itu boleh dirujuk di web www.terengganukini.net.

“Kami amat kesal dengan pemberitaan yang salah ini dan meminta kepada pihak yang melaporkannya untuk memohon maaf secara terbuka dan seterusnya menarik balik berita berkenaan dengan membuat pembetulan terhadap kesilapan yang sangat besar itu,” tegasnya.

(GAMBAR: Laporan akhbar The Star yang melaporkan Abdul Hadi berkata demikian dalam ceramahnya)

Malaysiakini dalam laporannya memetik laporan akhbar Cina Nanyang sebagai sumbernya namun akhbar The Star telah menjadikan ucapan Abdul Hadi di Jertih, Besut Terengganu sebagai sumbernya yang jelas tidak wujud.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31501:nanyang-minta-maaf-pas-tunggu-the-star&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

Isu pengharaman judi: PAS tak tunduk, kata Fatah

Isu pengharaman judi: PAS tak tunduk, kata Fatah

Mac 23, 11 3:31pm

Pas tidak akan tunduk dalam isu pengharaman judi, meskipun parti itu bersedia mengkaji semula larangan terhadap aktiviti perjudian di Kelantan, kata Timbalan Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perancangan Kewangan, Ekonomi dan Kebajikan Negeri, Abdul Fatah Harun.

Menurut beliau, kajian itu hanya bagi menentukan bidang kuasa pihak berkuasa kerajaan tempatan dalam mengambil tindakan terhadap mana-mana pihak yang menjual tiket judi di luar premis perniagaan.

"Undang-undang kecil pihak berkuasa tempatan jelas tidak membenarkan kegiatan perjudian dilakukan dalam premis di kawasan pihak berkuasa kerajaan tempatan, sebagaimana mengikut Akta Kerajaan Tempatan.

"Tidak timbul soal kita tunduk kepada tekanan mana-mana pihak menyebabkan kerajaan negeri bercadang mengkaji semula undang-undang melarang kegiatan perjudian di negeri ini," katanya kepada Bernama di Rantau Panjang, hari ini.

Menteri Besar Kelantan, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, dua minggu lalu berkata beliau akan meminta Penasihat Undang-Undang mengkaji semula dari segi undang-undang dalam pengharaman kegiatan perjudian di negeri ini.

http://malaysiakini.com/news/159447

Judi: PAS bantah berita Malaysiakini, The Star

Harakahdaily

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Mac: PAS membantah terhadap berita bertajuk DAP clashes with PAS over gambling ban, again yang dimuatkan dalam portal berita Malaysiakini, 21 Mac 2011 dan The Star, 22 Mac 2011 dengan tajuk Hadi: Pakatan will ban all gambling in Islamic state.

Artikel berita yang yang dimuatkan dalam portal berita Malaysiakini dengan tajuk di atas, di perenggan enam dan tujuh adalah dirujuk, iaitu: According to reports by Chinese dailies Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press, Hadi allegedly announced during a rally in Jerteh last Saturday that PAS would implement Islamic policies should the party come to power, including a nationwide ban on gambling. He was quoted as saying that the other Pakatan parties had reached a consensus with PAS over the matter.

Manakala Portal The Star pada 22 Mac 2011 juga melaporkan berita dengan tajuknya: Hadi: Pakatan will ban all gambling in Islamic state.

“Adalah dengan ini ingin dipertegaskan bahawa Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang tidak pernah menyebut sama sekali perkara yang dinyatakan sebagaimana di atas dalam ceramah beliau di Jerteh pada Sabtu lepas atau bila-bila masa di mana-mana tempat,” kata Setiausaha Politik Presiden PAS, Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar dalam satu kenyataan.

Oleh yang demikian, ujarnya persoalan bahawa PAS bercanggahan dengan DAP dalam isu berkenaan adalah tidak berbangkit sama sekali.

Rakaman ucapan Presiden PAS itu boleh dirujuk di web www.terengganukini.net.

“Kami amat kesal dengan pemberitaan yang salah ini dan meminta kepada pihak yang melaporkannya untuk memohon maaf secara terbuka dan seterusnya menarik balik berita berkenaan dengan membuat pembetulan terhadap kesilapan yang sangat besar itu,” tegasnya.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31462:judi-pas-bantah-berita-malaysiakini-the-star&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

Much ado about nothing in Kelantan gambling row

Harakahdaily

KOTA BHARU, Mar 18: The ban on gambling in Kelantan is not new and has been for so long accepted by all communities in the state, said DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke Siew Fook (left).

“The Chinese community has accepted PAS’s administration for the past 20 years. PAS’s principles are well known even to the non-Muslims.

"It is no longer a issue. The issue now is just about sale of lottery tickets," said Loke following a meeting with Kelantan Menteri Besar Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

The meeting was also attended by Bukit Bendera member of parliament Liew Chin Tong, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali and PKR information chief Dr Mohd Nor Manuty.

Loke said the issue over the lottery ban had more to do with legal technicalities, since sale of lottery tickets comes under the jurisdiction of the Federal government.

Loke said the state government was aware of this and agreed to study the matter.

“We respect that gambling is forbidden for Muslims. The only question now is the non-Muslims buying lottery tickets because it is allowed by the Federal government, and the state government is ready to investigate specifically on the lottery issue.

"And if it is allowed after this legal review, we will have to look on its implementation,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mustafa said the Kelantan government would leave the matter to its legal advisor.

Mustafa said the Federal government had approved lottery tickets to be sold at any place.

“Even if they sell by the river, what can we do?" he quipped.

Nik Aziz had earlier slammed UMNO-led Federal government for allowing gambling activities which made life difficult for people of all faiths.

Reiterating the state's opposition to all forms of gambling, Nik Aziz said its decision to ban premises from operating gambling activities was in accordance with its power.

He said that while his administration would continue to uphold the Federal constitution, the fact remains that "gambling brings more harm than good".

http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2472:much-ado-about-nothing-in-kelantan-gambling-row&catid=34:primary&Itemid=56

Orang Cina faham Kelantan haram premis judi

M Faqih

KOTA BHARU, 17 Mac: DAP hari ini menjelaskan aktiviti perjudian yang memerlukan premis seperti Magnun atau Nombor Ekor tidak lagi berbangkit sekarang kerana semua rakyat Kelantan sudah faham.

Ketua Pemuda DAP Kebangsaan, Anthony Loke Siew Fook berkata, semua bangsa di negeri ini telah menerima larangan kegiatan tersebut sudah melewati 20 tahun.

”Masyarakat Cina telah menerima pentadbiran PAS dalam tempoh 20 tahun. Dasar PAS sudah diketahui termasuk bukan Islam.

”Itu tidak lagi menjadi isu, yang ditimbul sekarang hanya penjualan tiket loteri sahaja. Ini kerana ada pihak berhujah loteri tidak memerlukan premis dan diberi kelulusan kerajaan pusat.

”Dan apabila kerajaan negeri menguatkuasa larangan itu seolah-olah melampaui batasan kuasa kerajaan pusat. Dan kerajaan Kelantan menjelaskan isu ini akan dikaji Penasihat Undang-Undang,” katanya pada persidangan media selepas perjumpaan dengan Menteri Besar, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat di Kota Darulnaim hari ini.

Hadir sama perjumpaan itu Setiausaha Agung PAS, Datuk Mustafa Ali, Ketua Penerangan PKR, Dr Muhd Nor Manuty dan anggota parlimen Bukit Bendera, Liew Chin Tong.

Sebelum ini ada pihak mempertikaikan tindakan Majlis Perbandaran Kota Bharu Bandar Raya Islam menyerbu premis yang disyaki menjual tiket loteri.

Loke berkata, beliau dan Liew menyatakan pandangan DAP terhadap isu loteri kepada Menteri Besar.

”Hanya penjualan loteri yang jadi isu baru-baru ini. Dan kita berpuas hati dengan perbincangan hari ini. Kita menghormati judi adalah haram kepada orang Islam.

“Hanya menjadi persoalan kepada bukan Islam membeli loteri kerana ia dibenarkan di peringkat pusat, dan kerajaan negeri bersedia mengkaji spesifik isu loteri.

”Dan kalau dibenarkan selepas dilihat dari aspek undang-undang kita perlu melihat semula bagaimana melaksanakan perkara ini,” ujarnya.

Beliau juga berkata, loteri sudah menjadi kebiasaan kepada masyarakat Tionghua sejak sekian lama.

Beliau yang juga anggota parlimen Rasah berkata, dalam isu judi bola sepak DAP awal-awal lagi menentang ketika perbahasan di parlimen.

Mustafa pula kerajaan Kelantan menyerah kepada Penasihat Undang-Undang (LA) untuk mengkaji isu penjualan tiket loteri yang tidak membabitkan premis.

Ini kerana kegiatan perjudian yang memerlukan premis memang tidak boleh di Kelantan, tetapi dalam konteks tanpa premis lesen judi itu diluluskan kerajaan pusat.

“Kuasa kerajaan negeri premis di bawah peraturan PBT, tetapi kalau kegiatan judi yang tidak memerlukan premis inilah yang LA hendak kaji.

“Kalau mereka jual di tepi sungai kita pun tidak tahu, macam mana hendak buat. Itu maksudnya. Tengok dahulu apa hasil yang dikaji LA,” ujarnya.

Beliau juga berkata, pertemuan dengan Menteri Besar hari ini bagi menerangkan keputusan mesyuarat Pakatan Rakyat yang lepas berkaitan isu berkenaan.

Cuma kata beliau apa yang dilaporkan beberapa akhbar tidak tepat berkaitan kenyataan dikeluarkan Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Beliau berkata, dakwaan mengatakan Anwar menegur Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz tidak berbangkit sama sekali kerana apa yang dilaporkan media berlainan.

”Keputusan diambil kita serah kepada kebijaksanaan negeri Pakatan masing-masing. Pulau Pinang macam mana pendekatan yang mereka hendak diambil.

”Kelantan sudah lama diketahui sikapnya. Tidak semesti apa yang dilakukan Kelantan negeri Pakatan Rakyat lain pula hendak ikut, jadi terpulang di atas kebijaksanaan dan autoriti negeri terbabit,” tambahnya.

Dalam kenyataan sebelum itu Menteri Besar berkata, isu larangan penjualan tiket-tiket loteri Big Sweep yang dikatakan tidak memerlukan premis tetap, kerajaan negeri sedia menelitinya.

“Kita serahkan kepada Penasihat Undang-Undang Negeri untuk melihat dari sudut perundangan yang ada,” katanya.

Kenyataan media itu dibaca Setiausaha Akhbarnya, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31404:orang-cina-faham-kelantan-haram-premis-judi-&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

Judi: Teras sokong Kedah tidak lulus premis baru

Harakahdaily

KUALA LUMPUR, 10 Mac: Teras Pengupayaan Melayu (Teras) ingin menyatakan sokongan dan mengalu-alukan dasar kerajaan Kedah yang tidak mengeluarkan lesen untuk premis judi di bawah kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat.

“Dasar ini wajar disokong kerana rakyat Kedah tidak harus didedahkan dengan industri yang boleh membawa kesan negatif kepada masyarakat,” ujar presidennya, Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid kepada Harakahdaily.

Teras, katanya ingin menyatakan pendirian tegasnya bahawa judi bukanlah suatu yang didokong oleh semua masyarakat bukan Islam.

Menurutnya, dalam penemuan Teras memang ramai warga masyarakat bukan Melayu dan bukan Islam yang menolak industri itu kerana ia jelas memberi kesan yang buruk kepada masyarakat dalam berbagai aspek.

Judi, ujarnya tidak kira berskala kecil atau besar tetap memberi kesan kepada kestabilan keluarga, motivasi kerja ,kadar jenayah sosial, keutuhan ekonomi masyarakat serta juga kepada nilai hidup indvidu.

Sebab itu, tambahnya judi perlu dibanteras dalam masyarakat secara lebih menyeluruh kerana kestabilan sosio-ekonomi dan budaya masyarakat perlu dipertimbangkan agar tidak menjadi mangsa kepada ketagihan judi.

Pada analisis akhir, katanya membiarkan masyarakat terdedah dan rela untuk berjudi adalah suatu pengabaian terhadap tanggungjawab sosial di pihak pemerintah sendiri.

Justeru, tegasnya Teras membantah dengan keras kenyataan Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek yang beria-ia untuk mempertahankan hak orang bukan Islam untuk berjudi.

“Soalnya untuk apa Chua mahu membenarkan orang bukan Islam merosakkan kehidupan mereka hanya kerana beliau berpegang bahawa berjudi adalah hak yang terjamin dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang membenarkan warga negara ini untuk berjudi,” katanya.

Menurutnya lagi, Chua berniat jahat untuk cuba memburukkan imej kerajaan negeri Kelantan pada kaca mata orang bukan Islam seolah-seolah kerajaan Kelantan mahu memaksakan perlaksanaan Islam ke atas orang bukan Islam di negeri tersebut.

Katanya, Teras mempersoalkan atas asas apa Chua mengatakan orang bukan Islam mahu berjudi dan hak berjudi mereka mesti dipertahankan.

“Sebagai sebuah kerajaan yang bertanggungjawab , Teras berpendapat , kerajaan mesti memberi kepentingan kepada rakyat supaya hidup dengan budaya yang sihat dan tidak terlibat dengan budaya berjudi yang merosakkan,” katanya.

Dalam kajian Teras, ujarnya rakyat Malaysia berbelanja tidak kurang daripada RM10 bilion setahun untuk berjudi dalam judi yang berlesen, tidak termasuk judi tidak berlesen.

Katanya, kesan yang jelas ialah pemilik dan pengusaha industri judi mengaut keuntungan berlipatkali ganda sedangkan mereka yang terperangkap dengan ketagihan judi menanggung penderitaan yang pelbagai kerana menghadapi masalah untuk melunaskan bayaran kerana kalah judi.

Sehubungan itu, tambahnya Teras menggesa pihak kerajaan negeri Kedah memantau premis yang menjalankan judi tidak berlesen yang semakin berleluasa tumbuh kebelakangan ini.

Teras juga, katanya dalam masa yang sama menggesa supaya Kementerian Kewangan bertegas untuk menghadkan pengeluaran lesen judi dan mengujudkan rancangan untuk akhirnya menghapuskan pengeluaran lesen judi.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31305:-judi-teras-sokong-kedah-tidak-lulus-premis-baru&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

Judi: Muhyiddin persenda Islam

M Faqih

KOTA BHARU, 9 Mac: Sejak 20 tahun lalu rakyat negeri ini tanpa mengira kaum dan agama faham, Kelantan berbeza dengan negeri lain kerana tiada premis perjudian dan pusat-pusat hiburan.

Malah kelebihan itu menjadi instrumen utama bagi menarik kehadiran pelancong ke negeri ini, sehingga Kota Bharu dan Rantau Panjang sesak setiap kali musim cuti persekolahan.

Masyarakat bukan Islam juga faham keharmonian hidup mulai dirasai kerana perbuatan yang menyalahi moral dikawal kerajaan negeri.

Bukan setakat itu sahaja, ada isteri penduduk bukan Islam datang menemui Menteri Besar, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat merakam ucapan tahniah kepada kerajaan negeri kerana bertindak mengharamkan premis perjudian.

Kata nyonya terbabit sebelum ini keluarganya porak peranda kerana suami suka berjudi.

Anehnya selepas 20 tahun keharmonian dalam kehidupan masyarakat berlangsung, tiba-tiba ada pihak yang mempertikaikan langkah Majlis Perbandaran Kota Bharu Bandar Raya Islam (MPKB BRI) menyerbu tempat menjual loteri secara gelap.

Setiausaha Badan Perhubungan PAS Kelantan, Mohd Zaki Ibrahim berkata, tindakan MPKB BRI menyerbu premis yang disyaki menjual loteri sepatutnya disokong semua pihak.

“Rakyat Kelantan tanpa mengira agama dan kaum sudah faham, perbuatan judi mendatangkan banyak kesan negatif. Rumah tangga porak peranda, anak-anak terbiar.

“Jadi langkah pihak berkuasa tempatan mengambil tindakan kerana ada pihak yang melanggar peraturan sesuatu yang perlu dipuji.

“Tidak berbangkit PBT tidak berbincang dengan premis berkenaan kerana tuan punya kedai tahu mereka melanggar peraturan,” katanya di sini.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin sebelum ini dilaporkan berkata, tindakan kerajaan negeri mengharamkan penjualan tiket loteri memperlihatkan wajah sebenar PAS melayan masyarakat bukan Islam.

Malah ada pemimpin masyarakat bukan Islam di sini berhujah tindakan membanteras premis perjudian boleh mengurangkan sokongan masyarakat bukan Islam terhadap PAS.

Mohd Zaki yang juga Timbalan Speaker Dun Kelantan berkata, setiap premis peniagaan menjalankan urusniaga berdasar kepada permohonan lesen yang dibuat.

“Tak kan pula kedai menjual buku mengambil kesempatan menjual benda lain yang tidak terkandung dalam syarat lesen premis seperti yang dimohon kepada MPKB BRI.

“Lebih-lebih lagi kalau mereka menjual tiket loteri lagilah salah kerana ia bertentangan peraturan PBT di negeri ini,” katanya.

Oleh itu beliau menyifatkan kenyataan Muhyiddin Yassin mempertikaikan langkah Kelantan mengharamkan judi sebagai mempersendakan agama sendiri.

Pengerusi Kelab Penyokong Kerajaan Negeri, Abdullah Ya’kob berkata, tindakan tegas PBT membanteras pihak yang melanggar peraturan dapat menyelamatkan gejala sosial daripada terus menular.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31280:judi-muhyiddin-persenda-islam&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50

Gambling: Can't have your cake and eat it too

Li Fook Gao

Before I go for some serious hitting, consider the following: Smoking is legal, but some shops ban smokers. So did they violate the Federal constitution for not allowing patrons to smoke there?

Shop owners argue that smoking causes pollution to other customers, therefore they ban it. Critics say they should not as it is a violation of human rights. They even rubbish claims of smoking being linked to lung cancer because the disease is also caused by other factors. They point out that many other shops do not ban smoking and there should be no exception. They claim people have freedom to emit smoke whenever and wherever they want. They somewhat suggest that non-smokers have the choice of whether to inhale the second hand smoke or simply hold their breath. For them, those who ban smoking are 'extremists'.

It took me a while before writing this piece. Should I be blunt or polite in hitting some senses back to a section of non-Muslims, especially the Chinese community, with regards to the PAS-led Kelantan state government's decision to consolidate its 20-year ban on gambling?

Why now?

The ban on gambling activities has always been there, since before the existence of Pakatan Rakyat. So why did it now make it into news headlines?

And some even went to the extent of urging PAS to reconsider the ban, or "risk not marching to Putrajaya".

And because of one non-issue that has been propelled into something big, it has become convenient to heap all the problems faced by PR on PAS. This is confounded by the fact that PAS had just lost four by-elections in a row. One may even add that they have lost every general election for the last 50 years! But does this mean the party's consistency and principled stand should be thrown away?

These same 'turbaned people' who some call 'hardliners' are the same people who have continued to oppose the government through thick and thin, way before non-Muslims suddenly woke up from their 50 years of blind support for BN, which in turn encouraged UMNO's metamorphosis into a monster.

Why do the Chinese support Pakatan Rakyat?

They hate MCA and Gerakan for not having the ball to reprimand their big brother UMNO who continues to make decisions against the wishes of the Chinese community.

Sustaining Chinese support

DAP has tried to keep this factor in mind, to sustain this hatred against MCA and Gerakan and thereby consolidate Chinese support for the opposition, often by openly reprimanding the Malay-dominated PAS on any issue.

They do it publicly to prove to MCA, Gerakan and the Chinese community that they will not kow-tow to anyone, gaining applause from the Chinese. This washing of dirty linen in public goes a long way towards getting political mileage among MCA and Gerakan's vote bank.

When reprimanded by its Malay partners, DAP leaders have often been quick to justify their action as a sign of their courage to speak out. Never mind that more harm has been done to PAS, whose win will be crucial in determining whether or not PR gets to go to Putrajaya.

It appears that a section of the Chinese politicians are taking advantage by repeatedly asking PAS to change, change, and change in order to suit their personal habits and lifestyle. These politicians knew too well that doing the same to UMNO would invite threats.

Hence, many agree that PAS has been heading to the middle in their cooperation within Pakatan Rakyat.

Three years after the 2008 general elections, the Malays' protest vote against UMNO seem to be reverting back to Barisan Nasional. As a result, PAS's grip on its traditional vote bank is fast losing.

To assure the non-Muslims, PAS adapts the slogan "PAS for All", telling them that Islam is fair to all races, unlike UMNO-BN's 1Malaysia/Ketuanan Melayu irony. PAS has always come to DAP’s rescue in times the latter finds itself at the mercy of UMNO ulama. In all this, PAS has taken the huge risk of further losing Malay support to UMNO's propaganda.

PAS has continously emphasised it commitment in Pakatan Rakyat, but to expect it to dump their Islamic ideology is to overstep the boundary.

Holding PAS to ransom

The recent brouhaha created over the ban on lottery in Kelantan serves as a good example of how some non-Muslims tried to hold PAS to ransom for upholding something a principle which they held way before non-Muslims understood the monster that was BN.

Some ill-informed observers even go to the extent of attributing PAS's recent losses in Merlimau and Kerdau to its ban on gambling in Kelantan, completely ignorant of the fact that such a policy has kept BN at bay for the past 20 years.

Ther term 'hardline' is subjective. DAP can also be called 'hardline' from the Muslim point of view, and this can also be the reason why Malays, whose vote is ever crucial, are actually ditching Pakatan Rakyat.

Support comes with understanding. Just because you voted for a certain party, it does not mean the party should be held to ransom. It is this kind of understanding that has kept both DAP and PAS alive for decades despite the odds stacked against them.

Heavily beaten in 1999 (DAP) and 2004 (PAS), both parties held on, and then in 2008, Malaysians suddenly looked for them upon realising who they had been voting for in the last half-a-century.

No party can claim credit over their gains in 2008, though credit is due to Anwar Ibrahim who managed to pull the opposition together.

While PR's component parties are still intact, it must be remembered that protest votes are no longer such nowadays, what with the way PR handled itself in public.

Prior to 2008, Kelantan was the only opposition state in Malaysia. Gambling was, and still is, banned, but some shops sold them illegally. It would now seem that DAP had eaten the bait by UMNO and MCA by making a fuss about the ban.

The current controversy stems from anti anti-PAS blogger from Kelantan who reported that lottery tickets were still being sold illegally in Kota Bharu, a claim highlighted by UMNO in the state assembly, and for which PAS decided to take action to enforce the law.

Then came MCA, screaming about their gambling rights in the dailies they control, baiting DAP to jump into the fire. And jump the DAP did. After all, the 'courage' to speak up has been the deciding factor for Chinese support.

PAS's reaction

Instead of countering the attack, PAS reacted by calling on a meeting among top PR leadership to look for an amicable solution. Even then, Selangor DAP issued a warning to PAS, giving the cliched excuse that “If PAS pushes this further, it’s not going to help them win more Malay votes and it might cost them non-Malay votes.”

In other words, it means: “You are going to lose Malay votes anyway, but don’t kill our Chinese votes too!”. Again, never mind about PAS’s support base which is crucial for the march to Putrajaya.

UMNO would soon be going to town crying “PAS kuda DAP” to tell unsuspecting Malays that unlike UMNO, which controls everything in BN, PAS and Anwar could not even weigh in on small matters such as this. Such propaganda have worked really well recently.

Kelantan

It takes only a 5-10 percent swing in Malay votes to present Kelantan and even Penang, that fort of DAP, to BN in the next general election.

As far as support for the opposition is concern, Kelantan has proved time and again. It would be silly to now ask for the state government to bend its policies when it had been managed well both economically and politically by PAS, keeping BN at bay for two decades.

In the gambling issue, some DAP leaders appear to have stepped into uncharted waters. It is therefore no suprise that many Muslim supporters of Pakatan Rakyat find it unacceptable.

DAP should not get too big-headed either. The Chinese support for PR was not merely due to their effort. It has more to do with UMNO's actions. One can also argue that sustaining Chinese support has been due to PAS's movement towards the middle, not DAP's 'hardline' modus operandi.

By the same logic, one can also conclude that PR's dwindling Malay support has been mainly due to DAP’s hardline policy rather than PAS's softening of its 'hardline' stance on many issues.

No matter how flawed, both arguments may augur well with the Malays.

If one follows the debates on cyberspace, one gets the impression that gambling is so ingrained in the Chinese psyche that by just banning it will make them vote for UMNO!

If that is the case, then go ahead, vote and gamble. And while at it, gamble your future away too.

Universal scourge

To oppose the eradication of a universally-recognised social ill is not justified. The story of the smokers' right to pollute and spread diseases is just one example of how small minds are at work.

Having said that, the realities in Malaysia are such that change must come gradually, creeping through social and communal structures. A nationwide ban on gambling may be unwise, as much as it is unwise for Kelantan not to ban gambling now.

If Chinese opposition leaders insist on maintaining UMNO-BN’s legacy of the gambling industry for eternity, will not the same argument justify the perpetuation of the NEP. Why not, if majority of the Malays want such an unjust policy to continue, it can be argued.

One must know to pick one's battle. One can't have the cake and eat it too. Our Muslim brothers in PR must also breathe easier by staying in the coalition. For those who chide PAS for focusing on what they term "petty issues" instead of corruption, then pray, why then do you make a big fuss out of it?

If such an issue could drive you to punch your fist in the air crying "injustice", then it is anybody's guess who is being petty.

http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2407:gambling-cant-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too&catid=50:li-fook-gao&Itemid=103

Selangor: Not yet to ban gambling

Posted by admin on March 9th, 2011

Gamblers can continue to stake their money at any legal gaming joint in Selangor. The state has no plans to imitate Kelantan and outlaw lotteries or any other form of gambling currently allowed. Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim told reporters today that his administration had not deliberated on the subject and indicated that it was not likely to do so in the foreseeable future.

No additional regulation on gambling would be introduced, he said.

“This is our stand at the moment,” he added.

Last week, the PAS-led Kelantan state government caused an uproar when it extended its gambling ban to include the sale of lottery tickets.

State PAS leaders also called for similar ban to be imposed in all Pakatan-ruled states, including Selangor.

The move drew criticism even from Pakatan Rakyat leaders.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh called on the state to lift the ban, reminding it that federal laws permitted non-Muslims to gamble.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had also lashed out at PAS over its gambling ban in Kelantan and ruled out implementing such a measure nationwide, adding that gambling was legally permissible for non-Muslims.

State FOI bill for second read

At his press conference today, Khalid also shared his thoughts on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill scheduled for another reading in the state assembly.

He agreed with critics that the first draft tabled last year appeared to be a “watered down” version of what democracy activists would expect from such legislation.

“But the first draft was to ensure that we accommodate the interests of both the state and the federal government,” he said.

After the first draft was tabled last July, the Bar Council noted that the new law would retain the Menteri Besar’s right to classify certain types of information as secret.

Khalid said he had not studied the latest draft and would need another week before he could offer comments.

Free Malaysia Today

http://www.kl-today.com/?p=14550

MCA jumpa Nik Aziz isu loteri

Posted by admin on March 10th, 2011

Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek (gambar) bersedia untuk bertemu dengan Menteri Besar Kelantan, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat berhubung isu pengharaman penjualan tiket loteri di negeri tersebut. MCA, katanya, tidak memahami kenapa keputusan untuk mengharamkan penjualan loteri itu diambil hanya selepas 20 tahun PAS memerintah Negeri Kelantan. Menurut beliau lagi, keputusan itu telah menyekat hak masyarakat bukan Islam yang bebas menentukan sama ada mereka mahu berjudi atau tidak.

“Kerajaan PAS Kelantan perlu diingatkan bahawa kebebasan untuk memilih terpelihara di dalam perlembagaan negara dan mereka (PAS) tidak mempunyai hak untuk melanggar hak tersebut,” ujarnya.

Tegasnya, PAS telah membuktikan bahawa mereka akan mengenakan nilai-nilai yang mereka percaya betul untuk rakyat Malaysia tanpa terlebih dahulu mengambil kira sama ada tindakan mereka itu melanggari hak demokratik rakyat Malaysia yang berlainan agama dan kepercayaan.

Kata Dr Chua, apa yang berlaku sekarang adalah prebiu kepada apa yang akan berlaku seandainya PAS berjaya mengambil alih kepimpinan kerajaan pusat.

“Tapi saya bersedia untuk berjumpa dengan Menteri Besar Kelantan, Datuk Nik Aziz untuk mendengar apa yang beliau ingin katakan berkaitan isu tersebut.

“Walaupun saya tidak faham rasional di sebalik keputusan mengharamkan penjualan tiket loteri di negeri itu tapi saya bersedia untuk bertemu dengannya supaya dia boleh menjelaskan tindakan di sebalik keputusan itu,” ujar Dr Chua.

Sebelum ini Exco Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan, Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan telah mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa mereka ingin bertemu dengan presiden MCA dan parti itu untuk menjelaskan kenapa Kerajaan PAS Kelantan mengambil pendirian untuk mengharamkan penjualan loteri Big Sweep di negeri itu.

http://www.kl-today.com/?p=14571

Tindakan PAS Haramkan Tiket Loteri Timbulkan Rasa Tidak Senang Masyarakat Bukan Islam – Muhyiddin

Selasa Mac 8, 2011

Oleh: NURUL AIN MOHD HUSSAIN

KUALA LUMPUR: Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata, tindakan kerajaan Kelantan mengharamkan penjualan tiket loteri di negeri itu telah menimbulkan rasa tidak senang hati di kalangan masyarakat bukan Islam kerana ia dianggap menyentuh hak mereka.

“Kita serahkan kepada masyarakat bukan Islam untuk menilai bagaimana sikap dan pendirian kerajaan PAS dalam isu ini. Pendirian kerajaan Persekutuan tidak perlu kita jelaskan lagi,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Kabinet mengenai Pembangunan Modal Insan di Bangunan Parlimen di sini, Selasa.

Beliau berkata sekatan baru yang diperkenalkan oleh kerajaan PAS itu telah dianggap oleh masyarakat bukan Islam sebagai menyentuh hak mereka.

“Dari segi undang-undang tindakan mereka (orang bukan Islam) membeli loteri tidak salah. Jadi isu pengharaman ini telah menimbulkan rasa tidak puas hati dikalangan masyarakat bukan Islam,” katanya.

Muhyiddin berkata, beliau juga telah dimaklumkan bahawa MCA juga akan melaporkan kepada pihak berkuasa mengenainya.

“Berdasarkan apa yang saya baca di akhbar, MCA akan buat laporan kepada pihak berkuasa, cuma saya belum dimaklumkan apakah bentuk tindakan mereka itu.

“Saya pasti ada pihak yang merasakan hak mereka telah dihalang atau disekat dengan tindakan kerajaan negeri Kelantan itu,” katanya.

Baru-baru ini kerajaan Kelantan yang dipimpin oleh PAS mengharamkan penjualan tiket loteri di negeri itu sejajar dengan konsep ‘Membangun Bersama Islam.’

http://mstar.com.my/berita/cerita.asp?file=/2011/3/8/mstar_berita/20110308163235&sec=mstar_berita

Statement on gambling in Kelantan

Mustafa Ali

Statement by PAS secretary-general on the plan to ban gambling activities by the Kelantan state government.

We refer to the action taken by the Kelantan state government against premises running gambling activities and the reactions from DAP chairman Karpal Singh and others.

I would like to inform that it has always been the state government’s policy for the past 20 years to oppose any form of gambling.

This issue must be seen in its entirety and against a backdrop of the gambling scourge which goes beyond Muslim, non-Muslim, Malay or non-Malay communities.

Gambling's negative impact on society is public knowledge and as such it is reviled by all religions as its goes against family, society and country.

As the issue has to do with principle and policy, we plan to bring this matter to the top Pakatan Rakyat leadership for a serious discussion to find an amicable solution.

We are aware of UMNO and BN's eagerness to legalise gambling by having the Federal government issue gambling licences.

We hope Pakatan Rakyat will take a serious and different approach.

Mustafa Ali

PAS Secretary-General,

6 March 2011

http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2399:statement-on-gambling-in-kelantan&catid=53:press-unedited&Itemid=127

What the Bible says about gambling

David E. Pratte

Gambling or "gaming" for stakes is becoming increasingly popular. A person can bet by lottery, casino, poker, slot machines, raffles, office pools, sports wagers, or online betting. But does God view it as moral or immoral? Should a Christian gamble? What does the Bible say? What about gambling addiction?

Gambling is big business. Consider the following facts:
* Nearly all states in the US allow some form of legalized "gaming." Many allow legal casinos and even more have a lottery. In addition, much gambling is still illegal.
* Americans gamble more money each year than they spend on groceries!
* In Mississippi more money is spent on betting than on all retail sales combined.
* 85% of young people have already become gamblers.
* Usually the people who gamble the most are the people who can afford it the least: the poor and the elderly.
[All statistics cited are from Dr. James Dobson, who served on the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, whose report was issued in 1999.]

The purpose of this study is to consider whether or not gambling is morally acceptable. We hope to discuss what constitutes gambling and what the teaching of Jesus Christ says regarding its moral significance. Since the Bible is the highest moral standard ever known, and since it reveals the will of the God who created us all, we will appeal to it as the supreme standard (2 Tim. 3:16,17; 1 Cor. 14:37; John 17:17; Matt. 7:21-27).

In this study "gambling" refers to a wager or bet in which each player agrees to risk losing some material possession to other players in exchange for the chance to win the possessions of other players without compensation to the loser, the winner(s) and loser(s) being determined by the outcome of a game.

Please note four essential elements of gambling in this definition:

1. A game of chance or skill - any event of uncertain outcome.
This may be a game the gamblers play among themselves or may be some event that would have occurred anyway (such as the outcome of an election or sports event).

2. The stakes
Each player places at risk some possession of material value.

3. The agreement (wager or bet)
Before the game each player agrees to risk losing his possession in exchange for the opportunity to take the possessions of others, depending on the outcome of the game.

4. Lack of fair compensation
No goods or services of fair value are given in exchange for what is lost. The loser will give up his possessions without being recompensed, and the winner will gain possessions without repaying the loser.

Activities That Are Not Gambling

People sometimes confuse the issue by claiming that certain acts are gambling, even though some essential elements of gambling are missing.

Crossing the street, driving a car
Some people say, "Everything in life involves a gamble." This confuses risk with gambling. Not all risks involve gambling. These acts involve no wager and no stakes. There is no agreement to try to take someone else's possessions.

Games without stakes or bets
The same games, on which people sometimes bet, can be played simply for fun with no possessions put at risk. This too is not gambling.

Farming, owning a business, etc.
Some say this is gambling because one risks losing money. But again there is no wager, but there is compensation. There is no agreement to take other people's property without compensation. The intent is to produce goods or services of benefit to others in exchange for that which benefits us. This is expressly authorized in Scripture.

Investing in stock
Some say this is gambling, but what is stock? Stock is a means for people to become part owners of a company. Buying stock is no more inherently gambling than is ownership of any other business. The intent is to make a profit by producing something of benefit to customers. Investors receive their share of these profits in the form of dividends or increases in the value of the stock.

Further, when stock is sold, both buyer and seller agree on the price. There is no wager - no prior agreement to risk loss at another's expense. If either thinks the price is unfair, they refuse to deal. (It may be possible to gamble or otherwise sin in the stock market, but buying stock does not inherently constitute gambling.)

Buying insurance
Some think insurance is gambling. But again, there is no wager and there is compensation. No one agrees to gain at the expense of someone else's loss. On the contrary, the whole purpose of insurance is to compensate the insured if he does have a loss (such as death, car wreck, hospitalization, etc.). If no such loss occurs, the customer has purchased the peace of mind of knowing he would have been compensated if he had experienced a loss. Regardless of whether or not this is a wise investment, the point here is that it is not gambling.

In short, none of these examples constitute gambling, since no one necessarily wants uncompensated losses to occur. But the gambler always wants financial loss to occur, because he hopes to profit from those losses.

Activities That Are Gambling

In the following examples, all the elements of gambling are present.

* Casino gambling: slot machines, roulette wheels, dice and card games, numbers games, etc., played for stakes.
* Racetrack betting on horses, dogs.
* Lotteries.
* Charity and church-sponsored bingo, raffles, etc. If someone says, "It's for a good cause," then just make a donation and skip the gambling!
* Bazaar and fair booths where you pay to spin a wheel and try to win a prize, etc.
* Amateur gambling including poker games for money, office pools, matching quarters for cokes or coffee, playing marbles for keeps. Also included are some athletic leagues where winners are not just awarded a trophy or plaque, but players put money into a "kitty" then play to try to win some of the money.

Even if small amounts of money are involved, such activities still violate Bible principles. Further, they establish a precedent that makes it impossible for one to consistently object to other people's gambling. Where do you draw the line and say, "This much money risked is all right, but any more is immoral?"

Objections to Gambling

The word "gamble" is not found in the Bible, yet the practice violates Bible principles regardless of the amount of money involved.

Rules for Transfer of Property

The Bible authorizes only three morally legitimate ways for money or possessions to pass from one owner to another. Gambling fits none of them.

1. The law of labor ("the work ethic")
One may be paid as compensation for work done to produce goods or services that benefit other people. Scripture strongly teaches this "work ethic."

1 Timothy 5:18 - The laborer is worthy of his wages. [Luke 10:7]

Ephesians 4:28 - Do not steal but labor at good (beneficial) work.

1 Thessalonians 4:11,12 - To meet our needs, we should do our own business and work for an income (not take what other people earned). [Matt. 20:1-15; James 5:4]

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 - Like Paul, people should work so they can eat their own bread (not other people's bread). If they will not work, they should not eat.

We must not try to live off the labors of others. We can expect goods or services from others only as compensation for work we do that produces something of benefit (that which is good - Eph. 4:28). Gambling undermines the Biblical work ethic because, instead of accomplishing productive labor that benefits others, the gambler seeks to get something for nothing by taking what other people have earned.

If someone claims that gamblers must work to win, we respond that this is not the labor described in these verses, because it produces nothing of benefit to others. Instead it attempts to take what others have, without compensating them. A thief also must do some labor; but such "work" is forbidden because it is harmful to others, not beneficial. If gambling were Scriptural labor, then all gamblers should be paid because all are laboring to win.

Someone may argue, "Gamblers are just paying for a form of entertainment." However, in legitimate entertainment the entertainers are paid a predetermined fee for providing a service to others. But gamblers are all providing the same "service" for one another; so if gambling were legitimate entertainment, then all participants should be paid or all should pay. The gambler does not want the other players to profit; he wants to profit at their expense! This violates the principle that the laborer is worthy of his hire.

Gambling undermines the work ethic and leads people to seek to profit by causing loss to others.

(Other scriptures are: 1 Cor. 9:7-10; Gen. 3:17-19; Prov. 31:24; Acts 18:3.)

2. The law of exchange
A person may simply agree to exchange possessions (goods or money) with someone else. Each party is paid or fairly compensated by receiving possessions of fair value in return for what he gives up. Bible examples are:

Genesis 23:1-18 - Abraham bought a field and a cave for money.

Matthew 13:45,46 - A merchant sold possessions to buy a pearl.

John 4:8 - Disciples bought food.

Note that, in a fair transaction, both parties receive what they view as fair value compared to what they give up. Neither party should attempt to take other people's property without giving fair value in exchange. But again gambling does not fit here, because the winner has no intention to compensate the loser. In fact, each gambler hopes other people will lose so he can take their property, while at the same time he hopes no one will take his property. This violates the law of exchange.

(Other passages: Gen. 33:19; Prov. 31:16; Acts 4:34,37.)

3. The law of giving
A person may knowingly choose, of his own free will, to unconditionally give something away as an expression of good will or kindness, with no obligation for the receiver to offer any compensation in return. Bible examples are:

Ephesians 4:28 - One who has earned goods by his own labor may choose to give to others in need.

2 Corinthians 9:6,7 - We should give willingly and cheerfully, not grudgingly. Note: If gambling fits this, then we should all gamble bountifully!

Acts 20:35 - It is more blessed to give than to receive. Do gamblers consider giving to be more blessed than receiving?

1 John 3:17,18; 1 Corinthians 13:3 - Giving must be motivated by love, compassion, and desire to help others. Is this what motivates gamblers? No, they agree to give (if they lose) only because they want to win what others possess!

Again, gambling does not fit this category because gamblers do not give willingly, freely, as an act of love or compassion.

(Other passages: Matt. 19:21; 25:35; 2:11; Acts 2:45; 4:34,35)

God authorizes three legitimate ways for people to obtain property from others. Gambling not only does not fit any of them, but it clearly contradicts and undermines them. Hence, it is a morally illegitimate way of obtaining others' possessions. If it does not fit these categories, then what category does it fit? Consider the next point.

Covetousness and Greed

The Bible repeatedly warns against greed and covetousness.
Ephesians 5:5-7; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - Those who covet will not receive the kingdom of God, but God's wrath abides on them.

Romans 1:29-32 - They are worthy of death, and so are those who approve or encourage their conduct.

1 Corinthians 5:11 - Church members who practice it should be disciplined.

(See also Deut. 5:21; Mark 7:20-23; 1 Tim. 6:6-10; 2 Tim. 3:2; Prov. 1:19; 21:26; 15:27; Heb. 13:5.)

What is covetousness and greed?
In general covetousness is the desire to wrongfully take someone else's property. It is "a desire for the increasing of one's substance by appropriating that of others" (Baker's Dictionary of Theology). So a person is covetous if he wants to take other people's property in a way not authorized by God.

Note some Bible passages:

Acts 20:33-35 - Paul did not covet other people's property but was willing to work to earn what he needed. So covetousness contrasts with the legitimate means for obtaining the property of others. Clearly gambling fits the definition of covetousness.

2 Corinthians 9:5-7 - If a person is compelled to give property against his will ("grudgingly or of necessity"), instead of cheerfully out of generosity, this is here called "covetousness" (v5 - KJV). A legitimate gift involves willingly choosing to give as a gesture of good will and kindness.

If we seek to take someone else's property which he really does not want to give, while at the same time we seek to avoid giving him fair compensation in return, that would be covetousness. Yet this is exactly what gambling involves.

Efforts to rationalize gambling

Someone may say, "Gamblers agree to pay up if they lose, so they do give it willingly." But it is not done in the spirit of good will that the Bible describes, else why does the gambler try to keep others from taking his possessions?

The truth is, gambling is mutual covetousness like dueling is mutual attempted murder. In dueling, each person agrees to let the other person try to kill him in exchange for the opportunity to try to kill the other person. But killing would still be unauthorized regardless of the agreement (Romans 13:8-10). So a gambler agrees to let others try to take his possessions in exchange for the opportunity for him to try to take the other person's possessions. And it is still covetousness, just like dueling is still attempted murder. The agreement simply makes both parties guilty of sin!

Someone else may say, "It's just a friendly game. We don't really care whether we win or lose the money." A professional gambler once told me that people gamble, not to make money, but for the thrill, the high, the excitement.

Have these folks been listening to the advertisements? The people who provide the gambling know that people do care about the money, and that's the way they advertise it.

If people don't gamble for the money, why not leave the money out of it and just play for fun? If you say, "the money makes it more exciting," then I ask why so, if you don't care about the money! The only possible reason why the money makes it more exciting, is that gamblers do care about the money! So the money does matter, and therefore gambling really is covetousness.

When a person wants to take someone else's property that they really don't want to give and without returning fair value in exchange, that person is guilty of covetousness. And that is exactly what the gambler does.

The Principle of Stewardship

We are stewards of possessions that belong to God.

1 Peter 4:10,11 - We are stewards of God's manifold blessings and should use these blessings to glorify God "in all things." A steward is a servant who has been entrusted to use his master's property to achieve the master's purposes. The master will judge the steward for how well he used the property. [Luke 12:42-46; 2 Chron. 28:1; 1 Cor. 4:1,2]

Psalm 24:1,2; 50:10-12 - Material property is part of our stewardship in that God ultimately owns all physical things but has entrusted them to us.

1 Timothy 6:9,10,17-19 - Instead of being greedy and loving physical things, we should use them to accomplish God's purposes. This includes providing for the needs of ourselves and our families, giving to the church, preaching the gospel, and helping the needy. Our material possessions are not ours to use as we please. We must use them to do God's will and then give account to Him for our use of them.

[Haggai 2:8; 1 Chron. 29:11-14; Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 2:15-17; Deut. 10:14]

The gambler is an unfaithful steward.

Luke 16:1,2 - Instead of using the Master's possessions for the intended purpose, the unfaithful steward wastes them or risks losing them for selfish purposes. This is exactly what the gambler does. [Matthew 25:14-30]

To illustrate, suppose you give some money to a friend for safekeeping. But then, without your permission, he uses your money as his stakes for gambling. Whether he won or lost, would you not confront him for misusing your money? For his own self-indulgence he risked losing what belonged to you.

But every gambler gambles with money that belongs to God without His permission. He wastes his master's substance and risks losing it in unauthorized activities for his own selfishness. God will hold him accountable.

The Law of Love

Matthew 22:39 - The second greatest command is "love your neighbor as yourself." Does the gambler love his neighbor as he loves himself?

Luke 6:27; 1 John 3:16-18 - Loves leads us to do good, not harm, even to our enemies. Note that coveting violates the law of love because it does harm our neighbor (Romans 13:8-10). Love does not seek to profit by taking what belongs to others against their will and without compensation. But the very essence of gambling is hoping other people will lose, so you can profit at their loss.

Matthew 7:12 - Do to others as you want them to do to you. Does the gambler want the other players to take his possessions? No! Then he must not try to take theirs! By definition, gambling violates the law of love because a gambler tries to do to others what he does not want them to do to him.

1 Corinthians 13:5 - Love seeketh not its own.

Philippians 2:4 - We should seek, not just our own interests, but the interests of others. Gambling, by its nature, is selfish and self-seeking. The gambler seeks personal gain and profit by taking other people's possessions without requiting them. Such is completely contrary to love.

A Root of Evil

A Bible principle

1 Timothy 6:9,10 - Love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Greed leads to many foolish and hurtful lusts, many sorrows, etc. If gambling is greed, as we have claimed, then we should expect to find it associated with all kinds of sin and immorality.

Matthew 7:16-19 - A tree is known by its fruits. A corrupt tree will surely produce corrupt fruits. If so, it should be destroyed (v19). Hence, if gambling produces many forms of evil, this will confirm our conclusion that gambling is evil of itself.

The fruits caused by and associated with gambling: Poverty, neglect of families, quarreling, and divorce because gamblers often gamble with money the family needs.

One out of every five homeless people admit that gambling contributed to their poverty. Among the states Nevada, long known for gambling, has the highest rate of divorce and the highest rate of high school dropouts. Even casino owner Donald Trump admitted: "People will spend a tremendous amount of money in casinos, money that they would normally spend on buying a refrigerator or a new car."

And interestingly, about one third of all millionaire lottery winners end up in poverty again afterward!

Anger, hatred, and even murder directed by the losers against the winners, especially if the losers think they have been cheated.

Drinking and drugs, alcoholism and addiction. These always abound where gambling occurs. Gamblers who lose seek to drown their sorrow and guilt. One tenth of all southern Nevadans are alcoholics.

Lying because gamblers seek to hide their habit and their losses.

Crime - Much gambling is illegal. Gambling of all kinds attracts criminal types and is often sponsored by organized crime syndicates. Gamblers often deal drugs, embezzle, or steal to get money to gamble or to pay gambling debts.

Influence on government - Why don't lawmakers outlaw gambling? It provides government money without raising taxes. But more importantly, the overwhelming majority of both Republicans and Democrats receive major campaign contributions from gambling interests.

Prostitution, lasciviousness, and general sexual immorality because of the immoral entertainment provided in gambling houses, and because many women use these means to get money to gamble or to pay gambling debts. The Las Vegas Yellow Pages list 136 pages of advertisements relating to prostitution.

Suicide as an escape from compulsive gambling or from huge losses. Nevada is first in the nation in suicides.

Truly, "by their fruits ye shall know them," and "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil."

Temptation and Evil Influence

Like drinkers and drug abusers, gamblers begin by thinking they can avoid the dangers involved. But participation lures them in deeper and subjects them to the moral dangers associated with gambling. Is it worth the risk?

Note some passages that warn us to avoid taking such risks for the sake of our own self-indulgence.

1 Timothy 6:9 - Those who love money (v10) and are minded to be rich fall into temptation, a snare, and many foolish and hurtful lusts. Surely no one can deny that temptation is associated with gambling.

Matthew 6:13; 26:41 - We should pray to avoid evil and temptation. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. Is it right to pray to avoid temptation and then deliberately subject ourselves to it, simply for the sake of passing pleasure? Note James 4:3; Matthew 18:6-9.

1 Corinthians 15:33 - Evil companions corrupt good morals. Yet all gambling puts us in the company of evil men and tempts us to participate in other sins.

Proverbs 13:20 - Keeping company with wise men will make us wise, but associating with morally and spiritually foolish people will cause us to suffer. [24:1,2]

Surely the gambler is running with the wrong crowd, subjecting himself to temptation exactly like these passages forbid. Many people will be lost eternally because of gambling's influence. Why submit ourselves to the danger?

Example and Influence

Gamblers not only sin and tempt themselves to sin, they also tempt others to sin.

Consider these passages:

1 Timothy 4:12 - Set a good example in word, manner of life, love, faith, and purity. Does the gambler set this kind of example?

Matthew 5:13-16 - Our lives should be like a light so others may see our good works and glorify God. Who will glorify God from seeing you gamble?

Matthew 18:6,7 - Woe to one who tempts others to sin. It is better to be drowned than to be guilty of this.

Whom does the gambler tempt to sin?

Young people - As with smoking, drinking, and drug abuse, most gamblers start young because of the influence of others: friends, relatives, older people they respect. If you gamble, your example may lead some young person to start or continue gambling.

He may then become trapped in the sins involved in and associated with gambling. If so, you will also be held responsible for his fate. Do you want this on your conscience?

Reformed compulsive gamblers - As with alcoholics and drug addicts, when a compulsive gambler quits, he must never again return to the practice or he immediately becomes an addict again. If he sees or knows you gamble, your example encourages him to try the practice again. If he does, he is immediately addicted again. And you are responsible.

Non-Christians - Many people who are not Christians know that gambling is very un-Christlike. If you gamble, you may never be able to lead them to hear the soul-saving gospel. Yet the Bible plainly obligates you to do all you can to help other people be saved (1 Corinthians 8-10). The gambler will never be a successful soul-saver (Prov. 11:30).

No one gambles alone. If you gamble, you must gamble with others. So every gambler has a bad influence on someone. The only way to avoid this problem is simply to avoid gambling altogether.

Conclusion

We may consider other points regarding gambling. Much gambling is illegitimate. And those who begin gambling legally often end up gambling illegally, because they become desensitized and because the odds are better. But Christians must obey civil law (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15).

Also, many young people gamble in violation of their parents' will (Ephesians 6:1; Romans 1:29-32). Many gamblers know that their marriage companion strongly objects. Is this the proper, loving way to treat a spouse (Ephesians 5:22-29)?

Finally, we must imitate the example of Jesus (1 Peter 2:21,22; Matthew 10:24,25; 1 Corinthians 11:1).

Can you honestly imagine Jesus playing a slot machine or roulette wheel or betting on a dice or poker game? Honestly now, does gambling harmonize with the example of Jesus and the teaching of His word?

http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2398:what-the-bible-says-about-gambling&catid=46:depth&Itemid=84

What Hinduism and Buddhism say about gambling

Sources: Edmund Bergler / OnlinePokies

As with a number of areas, Islam and Hinduism are largely in alignment on the issue of gambling. Hindu scriptures prohibit gambling. These are the sections of the Hindu scriptures which mention and prohibit gambling:

“A Gamester / gambler says,‘My wife holds me aloof, my mother hates me’. The wretched man finds none to comfort him.” (Rigveda 10:34:3)

“Play not with dice: No, cultivate thy corn land. Enjoy the gain and deem that wealth sufficient”.(Rigved 10:34:13)

“Drinking, gambling, women (not lawfully wedded wives) and hunting, in that order, he should know to be the very worst four in the group of (vices) born of desire”
(Manu Smriti 7:50)

Gambling is also prohibited in several verses of the Manu Smriti including:
ii. Manu Smriti Chapter 7 Verse 47
iii.Manu Smriti Chapter 9 Verses 221-22
iv.Manu Smriti Chapter 9 Verse 258

And so it can be seen that Hinduism does not approve gambling as a lawful activity. However, in other sections of Hindu scriptures, there are suggestions that there been gambling activities carried out in Hindu culture.

Mahabharata is a famous epic story and scripture in Hinduism. In this epic there are numerous instances of gambling activities. The epic states that gambling in the form of dice games was a source of entertainment for Kings.

There are also other Hindu scriptures which indicate that gambling activities were carried out in Hindu empires. Thus the scriptures seem to be both prohibit gambling, and also acknowledge it as a religious norm. Contradictions in the scriptures are naturally not uncommon.

Buddhism

Buddhism takes a nuanced view of gambling and its prohibition. In Sigalovada Sutta’s “The Layman’s Code of Discipline” the following is stated:

“There are, young householder, these six evil consequences in indulging in gambling:
(i) the winner begets hate,
(ii) the loser grieves for lost wealth,
(iii) loss of wealth,
(iv) his word is not relied upon in a court of law,
(v) he is despised by his friends and associates,
(vi) he is not sought after for matrimony; for people would say he is a gambler and is not fit to look after a wife.”

Dighajanu Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya VIII.54 states the following about gambling from a Buddhist perspective:

“These are the four drains on one’s store of wealth: debauchery in sex; debauchery in drink; debauchery in gambling; and evil friendship, evil companionship, evil camaraderie. Just as if there were a great reservoir with four inlets and four drains, and a man were to close the inlets and open the drains, and the sky were not to pour down proper showers, the depletion of that great reservoir could be expected, not its increase. In the same way, these are the four drains on one’s store of wealth: debauchery in sex; debauchery in drink; debauchery in gambling; and evil friendship, evil companionship, evil camaraderie.

These are the four inlets to one’s store of wealth: no debauchery in sex; no debauchery in drink; no debauchery in gambling; and admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie. Just as if there were a great reservoir with four inlets and four drains, and a man were to open the inlets and close the drains, and the sky were to pour down proper showers, the increase of that great reservoir could be expected, not its depletion. In the same way, these are the four inlets to one’s store of wealth: no debauchery in sex; no debauchery in drink; no debauchery in gambling; and admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.”

Thus it seems that in Buddhistm, while gambling itself is not considered inherently wrong for the layperson (monks are forbidden from gambling), if it is indulged in to the extent that is produces “evil consequences” then it is inadvisable. It should be noted however, that, as with Christianity and other religions, there are many different types of Buddhism. The above is from Theravada Buddhism, which is practised in Thailand and elsewhere in South East Asia, but there are many other forms.

Buddha: An unskillful activity

To gamble (jūtakīḷā) is to risk money on games of chance. Gambling was already an ancient activity by the Buddha’s time and the Vedas, the most ancient Hindu scriptures, contain the famous ‘Gambler’s Lament’ in which a man cries after having wagered and lost his wife and children. Such extreme betting is also mentioned in the Tipiṭaka (M.III,107).

Hardly surprisingly, the Buddha saw gambling as an unskillful activity. He said: ‘There are these six dangers of being addicted to gambling. In winning one begets hatred; in losing one mourns the loss of one’s wealth; one’s word is not accepted in court; one is avoided by both friends and officials; one is not sought after for marriage because people say a gambler cannot support a wife.’ (D.III,183). On another occasion he said that ‘squandering wealth on dice’ leads to one’s decline (Sn.106).

However, we might say that there are three types of gambling – recreational, habitual and addictive.

The first type is when someone occasionally plays cards for small stakes or buys a lottery ticket to support a charity.

Habitual gambling is to gamble a significant but manageable percentage of one’s income on a regular basis.

Addictive gambling is the inability to resist the opportunity to gamble and thus be constantly in debt.

From a Buddhist perspective, recreational gambling would be considered harmless and not against the Precepts. However, because all gambling plays on at least some element of greed, it is certainly unbecoming for Buddhist organizations to raise funds by lotteries and games of chance.

Habitual and addictive gambling are psychologically, socially and spiritually harmful because they are motivated by and reinforce delusion, avarice and the mistaken belief in good and bad ‘luck.’

For the Buddha, it is being virtuous that makes one ‘lucky,’ not having a winning streak. He said: ‘If a gambler were to win a fortune on his very first throw his luck would nonetheless be insignificant. It is many times more “lucky” to conduct oneself wisely with body, speech and mind and after death be reborn in heaven.’ (M.III,178).

http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2397:what-hinduism-and-buddhism-say-about-gambling&catid=46:depth&Itemid=84

Premis judi: PAS bawa kepada pimpinan Pakatan

Mac 6, 11 12:14pm

Setiausaha agung PAS, Datuk Mustafa Ali menegaskan hari ini bahawa sudah menjadi polisi kerajaan negeri Kelantan sejak 20 tahun lalu untuk menentang sebarang bentuk perjudian.

"Bagi saya, isu ini perlu dilihat dalam ruang lingkup yang lebih luas dan tidak terbatas kepada Islam dan bukan Islam atau Melayu dan bukan Melayu sahaja," katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Beliau mengulas berkaitan dengan tindakan kerajaan negeri Kelantan yang mengambil tindakan terhadap premis yang menjual tiket perjudian di Kelantan, dan berkaitan kenyataan pengerusi DAP, Karpal Singh, dan yang lain-lain mengenainya.

Mengulas lanjut, Mustafa berkata: "Apa yang perlu dilihat adalah kesan buruk daripada perjudian.

"Pada saya ia ditolak semua agama dan oleh prinsip kemanusiaan untuk wujudkan keluarga, masyarakat dan negara yang baik," tambahnya.

Mustafa berkata, oleh kerana isu tersebut melibatkan prinsip dan dasar, maka beliau akan membawa perkara itu kepada pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat untuk dibincang secara serius dan menyelesaikan masalah itu dengan baik.

"Kita tahu, sikap Umno dan BN menghalalkan judi sebab itu lesen-lesen perjudian di keluarkan oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan.

"Kita mahu Pakatan Rakyat mempunyai sikap yang tegas dan berbeza dengan BN dalam hal ini," tambahnya.

http://malaysiakini.com/news/157845

Judi: PAS bawa ke mesyuarat Pakatan

Harakahdaily

KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Mac: PAS akan membawa isu perjudian di negara ini ke mesyuarat pimpinan tertinggi Pakatan Rakyat untuk diselesaikan dengan baik.

Setiausaha Agung PAS, Datuk Mustafa Ali (gambar) dalam kenyataannya berkata, PAS tahu, sikap Umno dan BN menghalalkan judi sebab itu lesen-lesen perjudian di keluarkan oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan.

"Kita mahu Pakatan Rakyat mempunyai sikap yang tegas dan berbeza dengan BN dalam hal ini," kata beliau dalam kenyataannya itu.

Baru-baru ini, kerajaan negeri Kelantan telah mengambil tindakan terhadap premis yang menjual tiket-tiket perjudian di Kelantan.

Ekoran itu, beberapa kenyataan dikeluarkan oleh pemimpin DAP dan yang terakhir adalah kenyataan Karpal Singh, pengerusi DAP semalam yang mempertikaikan tindakan Kelantan itu.

"Suka saya maklumkan di sini, menjadi polisi kerajaan negeri Kelantan sejak 20 tahun lalu untuk menentang sebarang bentuk perjudian.

"Bagi saya, isu ini perlu dilihat dalam ruang lingkup yang lebih luas dan tidak terbatas kepada Islam dan bukan Islam atau Melayu dan bukan Melayu sahaja.

"Apa yang perlu dilihat adalah kesan buruk daripada perjudian. Pada saya ia ditolak semua agama dan oleh prinsip kemanusiaan untuk wujudkan keluarga, masyarakat dan negara yang baik," kata beliau dalam kenyataannya itu.

http://www.harakahdaily.net/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31232:judi-pas-bawa-ke-mesyuarat-pakatan&catid=1:utama&Itemid=50