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Malaysia – Slur on Genting Highlands is politically motivated
By Phil - 6 September 2013
Suggestions that Genting Highlands in Malaysia should be closed down due to the social problems that one politician is trying to associate with casino gaming have been slammed as an ‘attempt to fool the people’ to win political support.
Former Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam claimed that the casino was a source of social problems and crime, adding that he had received many complaints on the matter.
The newly-elected Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB) Chairman also claimed that the venue’s operator, Genting Group hadn’t contributed to Malacca’s economy despite high earnings from its casino business.
However, MCA Youth Secretary General Dato’ Chai Kim Sen, argued: “I personally feel that Mohd Ali is only making this statement with the UMNO party elections in mind. He wants to be seen as making political views and opinions in order to win support from his party. to close down Genting Highlands casino resort is an attempt to blame the casino resort for all kinds of social problems and security problems, and he is trying to fool the people by simplifying the problem. Therefore, I urge him to be more aware before issuing such statements as they are only liable to create controversy. Besides that, the decision to close the Genting Highlands casino is not made by one person alone, but rather the decision lies with the government.
“ Mohd Ali Rustam’s remarks have no bearing on this issue,” he added. “It is too simple to blame casinos for social problems. This is a problem which affects all levels of society, and as such we need to work towards resolving many issues to cure the diseases created by social problems. Comprehensive and preventative measures should be taken instead of simply closing down casinos. If closing down casinos would immediately solve all problems, then all casinos in the world would have been shut down a long time ago. Thus, I urge the people to think for themselves on whether the methods suggested by these politicians are feasible as politicians like this tend to oversimplify the root of many problems.”
