‘No new licence for entertainment outlets issued since Feb 2016’

SIBU: The Ministry of Local Government and Housing has already frozen the issuance of new licences for entertainment outlets since Feb 19 last year, in a move to eradicate gambling activities including cyber gambling.

Assistant Minister of Local Government Datu Dr Penguang Manggil said this in response to The Borneo Post’s report on Saturday under the headline ‘Cops want freeze on entertainment licences’, where the ministry was called upon to encourage all local councils to freeze the issuance of new entertainment licences.

In a statement on Friday, state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) head SAC Datuk Dev Kumar praised Padawan Municipal Council (MPP)’s move to revoke the licences of four family entertainment centres suspected of promoting illegal gambling, but at the same time hoping that local councils in other districts would follow suit.

“In fact, there was a circular issued by the ministry’s acting permanent secretary, dated Feb 24 last year, requiring the secretaries of all local councils in the state to ensure that the order would be enforced in their respective administration areas. This followed an earlier circular issued by State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani dated Feb 19 last year.

“The move is intended to eradicate gambling activities, including cyber gambling through various machines such as monkey machine, fishing machine and so on. Hence, the call on Ministry of Local Government and Housing to freeze the issuance of new entertainment licences is no longer an issue as this has already been done. Now, is the enforcement (part). Those creating the problem now are the illegal ones. That is why I said the enforcement should come in, where under the Blue Ocean Strategy – the police should also cooperate to assist the local authorities in conducting enforcement work,” Penguang said.

The Marudi assemblyman pointed out that the Ministry of Local Government and Housing is tasked to look after all local authorities in Sarawak.

“I think his (Dev Kumar’s) call is unnecessary because we have already frozen (the issuance of new licences for entertainment outlets) anywhere. And before he made that kind of statement, he should have consulted the ministry.”