Malaysia’s PAS pursues casino ban, diluting stance to widen base beyond Muslims

The party showed strong support for banning gambling at its annual congress even as its leaders seek to make inroads with non-Muslim voters

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Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang (C) waving during the 2022 general election in Marang, Malaysia’s Terengganu state. Photo: AFP / Malaysia’s Department of Information

Published: 4:01pm, 16 Sep 2024Updated: 4:27pm, 16 Sep 2024

The influential Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) emerged from its annual congress with pledges to widen its appeal, but a push to ban gambling has raised doubts about its commitment to broader inclusivity ahead of Malaysia’s general elections.

PAS is seen as the driving force behind Perikatan Nasional (PN), a formidable Malay nationalist opposition coalition that has stood in the way of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s attempts to win over the country’s Malay-Muslim majority.

Delegates to PAS’ general meeting in Pahang state last weekend showed broad support for a proposal to ban gambling, including shutting down the country’s sole casino, should they win power in the central peninsula state in the next election.

Just days earlier, PAS’ top leadership had called on members to broaden the party’s appeal to non-Muslims to solidify their chances at winning the next general election.

However, the proposed gambling ban has stoked concerns of an increasing ethno-religious tilt to the right by PAS.

“Three years as government but they forgot to ban gambling … now all of a sudden they remembered?” read a comment on Facebook by a user named Lee Tze Shen, referring to PAS’ stint in government during the pandemic years.