State govt called to curb gambling activities

KOTA KINABALU: Perpaduan Anak Negeri Sabah (PAN Sabah) chairperson Esther Golingi has called on the State Government to take serious steps to curb gambling activities in the state.

According to her, the previous governments have failed to address the concerns of the people.

“We have high hopes that our new government will take serious steps to address this issue and ensure that the ‘easy money’ mentality, which in fact breeds the culture of corruption, is reduced and eradicated,” she said in a statement.

Golingi said that the problem of gambling in Sabah have been raised many times before by private citizens and our politicians, including Darell Leiking.

She claimed that many have called for the State Government to address this issue and to direct the respective district councils to stop the renewal of existing trading licenses to operate such activities.

“When there was an expansion of gambling operations, especially in the areas of Penampang and Inanam many years back, no public consultation was conducted and the previous government had not shown any concern for the negative social and health consequences on the community.

Gambling is treated as a profitdriven business enterprise and associated problems such as addiction, suicide and pathological gambling are treated as minor concerns,” she alleged.

“Today, we see many of our people have become addicts and have resorted to borrowing money from loan sharks. They are forced to sell their house, land, car and everything they own to cover their debts.

“They will never stop borrowing to cover their debts as their gambling addiction continues. Many have gone through broken marriages and become suicidal. Their children grow up in difficult homes and end up inheriting the addiction. It is a vicious cycle.

“The situation is very serious, and this problem affects the poor, the rich, civil servants, private practitioners, people from all races and walks of life,” opined Golingi.

“We do not want Sabah to continue to be known as a gambling or ‘casino State’. This is not the Sabah we envision it to be.

The revenue from licensing of such activities is insignificant compared to the negative impact it has on our community.

“How much exactly does the State Government gain as compared to what the Federal Government gets from licensing under the Lotteries Act 1952 and the Common Gaming House Act 1953?” she questioned.