This latest statement makes the continued silence of MCA and MIC even more unacceptable.
PAS has already stated clearly that it wants Muslim voters to support PAS and its allies so that they can capture Putrajaya and use federal power to end gambling nationwide.
UMNO has now said that it has no problem with this agenda. The only parties in BN that still refuse to give Malaysians a clear answer are MCA and MIC.
For days, MCA leaders have issued long statements attacking me, accusing me of stirring up the issue and explaining how Cabinet government works.
Yet they have repeatedly refused to answer one simple question. Does MCA support or oppose a nationwide blanket ban on gambling? MIC has also remained silent.
This silence can no longer be justified by claiming that PAS is merely expressing its own position. UMNO, the dominant party in BN, has now publicly said that it has no problem with PAS’s objective.
This is no longer simply a PAS issue. It is now a serious policy question for any future BN-PN government.
If BN and PN form the next Federal Government, PAS will push for a nationwide ban and UMNO has already indicated that it has no objection to that objective. MCA and MIC must therefore tell Malaysians what they will do.
Will MCA and MIC oppose a nationwide gambling ban? Will they insist that existing lawful activities for non-Muslims remain protected? Will they make this a non-negotiable condition before joining any future BN-PN government? Or will they accept PAS’s agenda once BN and PN have enough seats to form the government?
These questions are now even more important because MCA and MIC cannot claim that the issue is hypothetical.
PAS has stated its objective. UMNO has stated that it has no problem with that objective. The only remaining question is whether MCA and MIC have the courage to state their own position.
MCA has repeatedly said that government policies must be decided collectively by the Cabinet. If that is MCA’s defence, then MCA must tell Malaysians what position it will bring into that Cabinet.
It is meaningless for MCA to talk about collective Cabinet decisions while refusing to say whether it will vote for or against the policy inside that Cabinet.
MCA cannot ask Malaysians to trust it to provide checks and balances against PAS while refusing to state a clear position before the election.
If MCA is already so afraid to say that it opposes PAS now, when PAS is not yet part of the Federal Government, how can Malaysians believe that MCA will have the courage to oppose PAS after forming a government together and becoming dependent on PAS MPs for parliamentary support? The same question applies to MIC.
MCA and MIC have always claimed that they can represent the interests of Chinese, Indian and other non-Muslim Malaysians within BN.
That claim must now be tested against a real policy issue. A nationwide gambling ban would not only affect Muslims. It would also affect non-Muslims who are currently permitted under federal law to participate in licensed and regulated gambling activities.
Malaysia is a multiracial and multireligious country. Muslims have religious obligations that must be respected. At the same time, the Federal Government must protect the constitutional and legal rights of Malaysians who do not profess Islam.
MCA and MIC must stop hiding behind procedural arguments and political excuses. They must state clearly whether they support or oppose a nationwide blanket ban on gambling. If they oppose it, they should say so directly.
If they continue to remain silent, Malaysians are entitled to ask whether MCA and MIC are more afraid of losing PAS and UMNO support than they are prepared to defend the principles they have always claimed to represent.
MCA and MIC cannot depend on PAS votes during elections and then refuse to answer questions about PAS policies that may be implemented after the election.
Malaysians deserve to know the position of every party before they are asked to vote for a possible BN-PN government.